The "Common Ground" festival in American Indian parlance
is a pow wow where Tribal affiliation gives way to ethic relationships
shared by all American Indians. The pow wow was sponsored by the Maryland
Indian Tourism Association in conjunction with the State of Maryland Commission
on Indian Affairs. The pow wow also was made possible through the efforts
of many, but special acknowledgment goes to the pow wow Chairman Rico
Newman, Piscataway.

"The drum represents the heartbeat of the People and
Mother Earth. Without the heartbeat of the drum there is no pow wow. The
drum sets the rhythm of the dance and the tempo of the song. The Indian
drum has two beats- the single beat represents Mother Earth, and the double
beat stands for humans."
-- Manataka American Indian Council

OPPTS Tribal News can be viewed on the Internet at
www.epa.gov/opptintr/tribal/

OPPTS Tribal News, Volume 4, Number 3, EPA 745-N-00-001

From the OPPT Editor

EPA is very pleased to present this special "Pilot" issue of
the OPPTS Tribal News. This pilot issue has allowed OPPTS to invite various
EPA media programs and offices to share with us valuable information regarding
their programs and activities, along with Tribal information and perspectives
regarding a vast array of environmental concerns and issues that may have
great interest to Indian country.

Many at EPA have heard from Tribes that improving our ways of communication
would be greatly beneficial to EPA and Tribal partnerships. It is fairly
well known that Tribal environmental programs and office staff are often
overwhelmed with information from numerous and varied sources. Tribes
have expressed the great difficulties for their limited Tribal staff to
sort through and select pertinent information in a timely fashion. Many
Tribes do not have the size or infrastructure to deal with the many diverse
office and media programs sources of information. Tribal representatives
have continued to advise EPA that Tribes tend to relate to the environment
differently as they view the world in a holistic fashion, and would prefer
the Agency decrease its use of administrating Tribal environmental protection
programs through its traditional "stove piping" approaches,
such as air and water. Since many Tribes view all things as being inter-related,
it may be better to learn about the environment holistically.

This pilot issue attempts to provide Tribes with one media source that
presents environmental-related information from all EPA media offices,
Regions, and various Tribal members. We also hope that our readers find
this pilot issue informative and useful in understanding the many EPA
and Tribal environmental protection programs, and prevalent concerns.
We thank all EPA and Tribal contributors. Their enthusiasm and willingness
to participate in this pilot issue is commendable, encouraging, and greatly
appreciated.

-Mary Lauterbach, OPPT Editor

The Office of Prevention, Pesticides, and Toxic
Substances is pleased to include the comments and opinions of contributors.
Byline articles and interviews represent the opinions and views
of contributors and not necessarily those of the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency.

OPPTS Tribal News is a publication of the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency and is intended for noncommercial, scientific, and educational
purposes. This publication may contain materials that may be subject
to U.S. and foreign copyright laws.

OPPTS Tribal News Mission Statement
OPPTS Tribal News seeks to provide an opportunity to promote a two-way
dialogue with EPA and American Indian Tribes, including Alaskan
Native Villagers, regarding a vast array of environmental issues
and concerns that affect Indian Country. The mission and hope of
the publication is to maintain an open, constructive exchange of
information between the federal government, Tribal governments,
and Tribal organizations. Together, we can build mutual understandings
and forge effective partnerships to achieve our common goals of
protecting the water, air, land, and communities, now and in order
that the circle will continue on for generations to come.

-OPPTS Tribal News Staff

New EPA Administrator Mike Leavitt's Collaborative Approach on Major
Environmental Issues and Concerns

On November 6, 2003 former Utah Governor Mike Leavitt was sworn in as
the 10th Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Leavitt pledged to seek collaboration in the application of a "balanced
set of environmental principles" to protect the nation's environment.

Prior to leading the Agency, Leavitt served as Utah's 14th governor and
was a national leader on homeland security, welfare reform, and environmental
management. As a pioneer of collaborative environmental management, Leavitt
helped clean the air over the Grand Canyon as he served as Vice-Chair
of the Grand Canyon Visibility Transport Commission and Co-Chair of the
Western Regional Air Partnership. These efforts resulted in recommendations
to improve visibility on the Colorado Plateau and regulatory commitments
and strategies to reduce sulfur dioxide levels in 13 states. Tribes were
an important part of this effort.

During a recent introductory address to EPA's staff, Leavitt stated that
he envisions a new wave of environmental productivity in America. This
productivity will stem from people joining together in collaborative networks
for environmental teamwork. Many of these networks will be small and made
up of neighbors, communities, and local governments, while others will
involve larger geographic areas that are massive in scope and scale. Leavitt
believes that collaboration, which exceeds national, state, and community
boundaries, is the next great leap in environmental productivity. He has
challenged EPA to lead the way.

A Special Word from AIEO's Carol Jorgensen

I'd like to take a moment and reflect on some of the challenges, experiences,
and events that I've encountered in this past year and a half while working
in the Tribal Program. I joined the EPA American Environmental Indian
Office (AIEO) on May 6, 2002. I will admit that going from a land management
agency to a regulatory agency was a change, although I've worked in air,
land, water, and enforcement during my 40-plus years career. As I have
traveled throughout the U.S. to visit Tribes, I know that a lot of work
remains to be done. Some of this includes cleaning rivers, lakes, and
water bodies, as well as restoring contaminated fish and food sources,
that our Tribes depend on throughout the coastal and inland areas for
their subsistence needs. I've seen areas suffering from solid waste pollution
and reservations severely affected by air pollution from surrounding developments,
mining, and industrial wastes. As a result of these conditions, Tribes
are seeing more adverse health effects, and reports of cancer, diabetes,
asthma, other lung problems, and allergies are increasing. These are areas
that demand our immediate attention and commitment in finding solutions.
These issues are our challenges for many future decades.

The good news is that Tribes are committed to partnering with EPA to
tackle these tough health and environmental concerns. It is gratifying
to see the Tribes committed to this work. As I often say, " if
you give Tribes $1.00, they will make it $2.50 they will do whatever
it takes to ensure that they are making a better world for their children,
grandchildren, and their future generations. "Amazingly, they use
their knowledge of the past to make a better future. Thousands of years
of experience, information, and science are resulting in outcomes that
we all need to pay attention to for our world. Through indigenous knowledge,
along with some of the best science in EPA, we will sustain the Tribes
a nd all people in the future.

There is much work to be done, and we have yet to scratch the surface.
We need to determine where to go from here. However, the rewarding factor
is that EPA is committed to Tribes and is making headway in the Tribal
program. The commitment from the Administrator is strong and very supportive.
With that kind of commitment, we can only build a stronger foundation
that will guarantee continued work and improvement on Tribal environmental
issues.

I feel humbled, privileged and honored to work in this program, and my
passion is to ensure that Tribal people have a strong, bright future for
centuries to come. As a Tribal member I want to ensure that we leave a
better legacy for our children than we see today. My appreciation goes
to the Tribes and this Agency that have cared enough to take a stand,
develop the 1984 Indian Policy, and honor our commitment to the Tribes
while working in a government-to-government, trust relationship. This
demonstrates respect for sovereign Tribal nations and attempts to heal
some of the past actions in order to build on a bright future.

Gonal Cheesh Ho Ho, my most sincere appreciation and thanks go out to
all of you. Keep up the wonderful work and don't get discouraged. As my
Elders say, " everything happens for a reason, and all things
come in time if it is meant to be."

A Note from the Office of Prevention, Pesticides, and Toxic Substances

The United States Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Prevention,
Pesticides, and Toxics Substances (OPPTS) is pleased to provide this pilot
issue, sponsored by OPPTS Tribal News. This issue provides a unique opportunity
to feature key environmental programs, activities, and information from
all EPA media offices and highlights the successes and progress to protect
the environment in Indian country.

EPA continues to explore ways to achieve its goals with Indian Tribes
so that the protection of our air, water, land and communities and ecosystems
can be successfully sustained for future generations. EPA is firmly committed
to enhancing its partnership with Tribes through the development of effective
relationships and communications. This pilot is one attempt to provide
a unified source of information that is not currently available.

We hope that you will find this pilot issue useful and full of valuable
information that will assist you in understanding and carrying out environmental
protection programs and activities in your Tribal communities and on your
lands.

OPPTS would like to thank the EPA and Tribal contributors for their support
of this pilot issue. We, at OPPTS, also look forward to working with all
of our EPA and Tribal partners in ensuring a healthier and cleaner environment.

OPPTS Tribal Strategy

At the request of several Tribal representatives, OPPTS has decided to
extend the time frame for Tribal review of the OPPTS Draft Tribal Strategy
until February 17, 2004. This Strategy is important to many Tribal environmental
programs as it contains specific long-term and short-term environmental
goals and objectives regarding OPPTS environmental protection programs
in Indian country.

OPPTS expects to finalize this Strategy in Spring 2004. For further information
and to obtain a copy of the draft Strategy or submit Tribal comments regarding
the Strategy, please contact Caren-Rothstein-Robinson, EPA OPPTS, at 202-564-0544
or rothstein-robinson.caren @epa.gov.

There are many issues surrounding the Digital Divide that are common
to every under-represented group, including income levels, education levels,
information, computer literacy, Internet access, available technology
and geographic location. However, among the Native American people, there
is an additional consideration of cultural concerns and diversity among
tribes that needs to be addressed. The Digital Divide among Native American
people needs to be bridged in such a way that it will respect and preserve
each Tribe's cultural heritage while providing improved access to relevant
environmental information. Although Tribal governments and Native Americans
residing on reservations have made great strides in getting online, federal
officials and Tribal leaders are concerned about the lack of internet
access for schools, homes, and businesses on reservations.

Currently, EPA's main web site does not have a single point of entry
for Tribes to access when seeking environmental information or assistance.
EPA's Office of Environmental Information (OEI), in partnership with the
American Indian Environmental Office (AIEO), is developing a Tribal Portal
to facilitate access to relevant environmental information for Native
Americans. Although much of this information may be available on the Internet,
it is not available via a centrally located and easily searchable web
site. Additionally, a Tutorial is being developed to accompany the Portal
in order to assist users in locating the information they seek. While
developing a Tribal Portal has many merits, non Web-based methods for
disseminating relevant environmental information also need to be considered.
On October 9, 2003, OEI participated in a ceremony to kick-off the pilot
of the Public Access Workstation and Tribal Portal at the Salish Kootenai
College in Pablo, Montana. The Workstation, along with the Tribal Portal
and Tutorial, will help to provide relevant environmental information
and encourage Tribal feedback to the Agency.

In order to make sure that EPA provides relevant environmental information
in a culturally sensitive way, OEI and AIEO are partnering with Tribal
representatives, Tribal organizations, other EPA Offices, EPA Regional
Tribal contacts, and other government agencies in developing both Web
and non-Web based products and services.

If you have any questions or feedback regarding this project, please
contact Jeff Tumarkin, EPA Office of Environmental Information, at 202-566-0681
or tumarkin.jeff@epa.gov.

Tribes are keenly aware of their environment and are equally observant
in detecting adverse changes that are occurring. Over time, these changes
have become prime examples of how traditional ways of life are being threatened
or eliminated today. The environments of the great forests of the east
and west coasts, Great Lakes, everglades, northern plains, southwestern
deserts and canyons, arctic, oceans, and delta plains are being adversely
impacted by contaminants from past and present sources.

It may surprise some that even native environments from as far as the
Arctic are being adversely affected by pollutants that do not know natural
or political boundaries.

For example, DDT, a substance banned internationally as long as 25 years
ago, still shows up in the tissues of sea mammals in the Arctic.

In many cases, Tribes know what the problems are and what they need to
do in order to address these complex issues. In other cases, they do not
know what is causing the changes, how it is affecting their people, and
what they need to do in order to mitigate the risks associated with the
changes.

The continued protection of Tribal lands and waterways where traditional
activities have taken place throughout their history, such as gathering,
fishing, hunting, trapping, herding, and harvesting, is at stake. This
unique way of life and the culture associated with it need protection
in order for each Tribe to survive. These cultural elements include, but
are not limited to, legends, ceremonies, songs, dances, spiritual knowledge,
languages, and worldviews. So intertwined are these cultural elements
to the natural environmental, that many Tribes cannot exist as healthy,
vibrant communities without practicing and sharing their cultural heritage.
It must be understood that to have any part of their environment contaminated
or compromised affects the whole, and thus may not allow some Tribes to
pursue their sovereign rights to continue on with their traditional ways
of life.

Many Tribes will agree that in order to enable at least some of their
unique cultures and traditions to continue the way they have been practiced
for thousands of years, change must begin now-while others may think that
"now" might already be too late. Tribal communities may find
that the efforts by the Tribes to protect their traditional lifeways may
be one of the most important environmental issues confronting them today.

Over the past several years, Tribal representatives have been working
together and in partnership with EPA on this most pressing and fundamental
environmental issue. There has been, through a series of discussions and
meetings, an effort to better define the issues, setting forth an agenda,
and building a solid network of Tribal representatives to assist EPA.

Provided on the next few pages are short summaries of some of the different
meetings, various perspectives regarding the outcomes that have taken
place, Tribal recommendations that have been made, and current directives
relating to the protection of the Tribal traditional ways of life. Additional
meetings related to this topic also are listed chronologically.

Choctaw, Mississippi*

September 2002

This meeting was one of the first that began over the last year and half,
with a total of 39 people participating in person or by phone. The breakdown
represented 21 Tribal and 18 EPA media office representatives. The Tribal
representatives were from various EPA advisory groups and Tribal organizations
such as: National Tribal Operations Council, Regional Tribal Operations
Council, Tribal Science Council, Tribal Association on Solid Waste and
Emergency Response, Tribal Pesticides Program Council, Forum on State
and Tribal Toxic Action, and the newly forming Tribal Air Group. There
were also Alaska Village Natives and inter-Tribal representatives.

The meeting's intent was for EPA to hear more from the Tribes on what
the issues are and to establish a better way for EPA to work collaboratively
with Tribes to ensure that all the efforts can make an impact.

Several important areas were discussed and several action items were
developed at the meeting.

A major topic was the word "Subsistence" and whether another
term should be used to improve the understanding of the "Subsistence"
concerns of the Tribes. A need was identified to go back to consult with
the Tribes and Villages to have a discussion on what appropriate term
should be used that best describes what is being referred to since it
encompasses so much. One interpretation taken from a document titled "Subsistence;
A Scientific Collaboration Between Tribal Governments and EPA" defines
it as:

Subsistence is about relationships between people and their surrounding
environment, a way of living. Subsistence involves an intrinsic spiritual
connection to the earth, and includes an understanding that the earth's
resources will provide everything necessary for human survival. People
who subsist from the earth's basic resources remain connected to those
resources, living within the circle of life. Subsistence is about living
in a way that will ensure the integrity of the earth's resources for the
beneficial uses of generations to come.

Until further consultation with Tribes and Alaskan Villages, the term
Tribal Traditional Lifeways may be offered in place of the term, "subsistence."

Choctaw, Mississippi
Environmental Voice

According to Don Aragon, Wind River/Tribal Representative to TOC and
Indigenous Peoples Subcommittee of NEJAC, " Subsistence doesn't
only impact Indians. It would behoove us not to leave out all the many
people who rely on the earth's resources to support them. We're not rich
corporate executives like we see on the news. In looking at these concerns,
consider all the stakeholders and not just the Tribal people."

Tribal representatives must be recognized within the state of environmental
effort

Tribes must say what is needed to protect Tribal traditional lifeways

Tribal representatives must learn about EPA's needs in order to
partner with Tribes on this protection effort

Tribal representatives should support the concept of a gathering
(or summit) of indigenous people, along with federal and State agencies,
on traditional lifeways

Tribal representatives need to form a Tribal Steering Committee

Tribal representatives want EPA to advise whether the Agency will
commit to sponsoring such a gathering in conjunction with the opening
of the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C., in
September 2004.

Anchorage, Alaska*

April 2003

The Subsistence Technical Planning Meeting for the Protection of Traditional
and Tribal Lifeways was hosted in Anchorage, Alaska. The natural state
of the environment has always been a vital part of the indigenous way
of life and culture; it has sustained Tribes through the ages. A threat
to the life subsistence of indigenous people has been linked to the contamination
of the environment; this has affected the health and the cultural identity
of indigenous people.

Many of the following issues were raised during this workshop and goals
were set:

Defining "subsistence" from the indigenous perspective
compared to the EPA perspective and vice versa

Identifying a set of assessment and communication tools that would
enable Tribes to develop their own assessment of subsistence contamination

Identify scientific research and data gaps that exist

Share information and knowledge to help develop a process and a
structure to protect traditional ways of life

Address the communication difficulties that exist between Tribes,
EPA and other agencies

Marylouise Uhlig, Associate Assistant Administrator for the Office of
Prevention, Pesticides and Toxic Substances (OPPTS) said, "EPA's
relationship with Tribes has been growing, but there is still a lot to
be done. I hope over the next few days to listen and learn a lot more
about how we can be more effective partners than we are today."

Goals for participants at the workshop were to define, understand, and
name the issues relating to Tribal ways of life, traditional lifeways,
and/or subsistence. The defined purpose was to enable agencies to recognize
the issues and better serve Tribes.

However, how does an indigenous person interpret and describe the natural
expression and emotion that is connected to the environment? It is not
something that can be easily be categorized.

Tribal representatives advise EPA to remember the smaller Tribes
and include their voices

Tribes recommend that legislation may be enacted to address and
protect Tribal traditional knowledge and lifeways

Tribal representatives want to create a national database to track
plants and the contaminants that they may absorb

Tribal representatives also need to have an inter-agency workgroup
that would represent the U.S. Department of Defense, EPA, etc.

Anchorage, Alaska
Environmental Voices

Throughout the workshop, participants representing various Tribes described
the concept of traditional lifeways and subsistence using a variation
of terms. However there were several common themes such as the concept
of culture and environment being intertwined. From the Tribal perspective,
these elements cannot be separated, and this concept should be understood
by federal agencies while working with Tribes.

One Tribal elder said, " those of you working for Tribes but
not members, or for an agency, remember you're working with Indian people
who view the land in a different way You must remember that you are
dealing with Indian's feelings for that land. That is much different than
for non-Indian lands. You can't be on a certain piece of land for thousands
of years without having a deep connection to that land. My message to
you is that while you're making management policies for our lands you
must incorporate the culture and traditions within the management plan."

Another Tribal elder expressed a similar idea. According to him, "One
of the things that we consider is that when we talk about community, we're
not talking about humans, we're talking about plants, animals and people,
and there is no hierarchy."

A further participant said, "When we are talking about resources
and protecting them, our cultural resources and natural resources are
the same. They are used for food, medicines, and spirituality. Protecting
these things is protecting tribal culture. If those resources are damaged
or eliminated, we've hurt the culture. Protection (of environment) means
protection of the tribal culture."

The complexity of consistent communication on this topic between Tribes,
agencies, and organizations was one of many issues being addressed.

Workshop participants agreed that improving communication and coordination
between the various groups addressing these issues was a major goal of
this meeting. It also is very important that the groundwork, history,
background, and status of projects in progress be readily available for
new participants at future meetings in order to discuss and move forward
on these issues. The National Tribal Operations Committee was suggested
as the potential group to communicate related activities and play the
role of a central clearinghouse.

Many participants had questions about risk assessments used to develop
"safe levels" because what EPA considers safe for the overall
population may not be safe for Tribes due to their unique dietary and
cultural lifeways.

It was mentioned that "EPA's challenge is to figure out how to understand
the Native ways and weave into the bureaucracy, actions that can address
these concerns.

Carole Jorgensen, Tlingit and EPA American Indian Environmental Office
Director, expressed that she believes there is support within the Agency
to work with the Tribes to address these issues and to look for opportunities
to move forward in a collaborative manner. She said, "I constantly
get calls from EPA colleagues asking how they can participate in working
with the Tribes to identify these issues and find solutions." She
also expressed her hope to find opportunities for meeting with Tribes
to have two way discussions in a respectful, non-violating way. Tribal
members know the environmental issues on their reservations best. Therefore,
scientific studies of contaminants don't necessarily have to be conducted,
and tribal people see and live it everyday. They already have the knowledge
and the evidence that is needed to identify the issues. Jorgensen also
said, " sometimes Tribes need to be careful about what they
share (culturally) But on the other hand, elders are saying it is
time to share this for the sake of the animals, plants, birds, fish, air,
water and people, before it's too late.

Further ideas for addressing these issues included:

Distribute information prior to meeting so new participants could
call with questions, and therefore, improve the outcome of conference
calls and meetings

Find economical approaches for meeting and discussing these issues,
such as establishing a 1-800 number or providing Tribes with calling
cards.

Establish an information clearinghouse, perhaps a web page, where
Tribes could search projects and gain knowledge of similar Agency/Tribal
projects, as well as post notes from past meetings.

Develop a community resource directory to include contact information,
as well as activity descriptions, for information or programs of interest.

Inform appropriate Tribal and federal staff unable to attend meetings
of major meeting results and up-coming opportunities to get involved
with the discussion.

Pyramid Lake, Nevada*

May 2003

At Pyramid Lake, participants gathered during May 13-15, 2003 for the
Tribal Traditional Lifeways Health and Well-Being Approach Workshop. The
goals of this meeting were to:

Share and discuss the topic of health and well-being and traditional
knowledge and science in general terms

Explain the health and well being paradigm being developed by members
of the National EPA Tribal Science Council (TSC)

Share stories about health and well being topics and the use of
traditional knowledge and science

Discuss next steps.

Traditional knowledge and western science can include very different
approaches a nd basic philosophies when compared to one another.

Over many generations, Tribes have developed a holistic traditional scientific
knowledge of their lands, natural resources, and environment. Many have
acknowledged that North American Tribes possess the greatest traditional
scientific knowledge of botany in the world today. However, there have
been examples where traditional knowledge and western science have been
used together to produce a positive outcome, such as the discovery of
the Hanta virus (1993), Ashkui Project, and climate studies of the Arctic.

Some Areas of Traditional Lifeways in Indian Country Now Threatened
by Toxic Contaminants

contaminated deer and deer liver in the mid-Atlantic States.

Contaminated fish in the Northwest and New England States.

Contaminated sheep in Texas and the Southwest.

Toxic turtles in the Great Lakes.

Contaminated grains, grass and fruit in California and the Southwest.

The Everglades.

Tribal Science Council (TSC) Health and Well-Being Paradigm

The current risk assessment methods used by EPA often are viewed by Tribal
environmental managers as not suitable for Tribal communities. The model
does not consider the impacts to cultural activities and ideals. The risk
model can affect the health and vitality of Tribal communities and their
unique identities to carry on the traditions and cultures for future generations.
To allow the completion of the paradigm, there is a need to return back
to the Tribal communities to learn how their health and well-being are
being determined. A useful model, based upon the document "Cultural
Ecosystems Stories," written by Terry Williams, Tulalip Tribes of
Washington, includes the following:

A description of a community's historical relationship with its
natural resources and environment, as related through oral and other
traditions (e.g., stories)

A review of a community's current relationship with these natural
resources and environment, as well as their condition

A strategy developed by the community for managing natural resources
and the environment that renew and maintain the community's historical
relationships.

The TSC Health and Well-Being Paradigm under development by the EPA Tribal
Science Council includes cultural indicators, such as community gathering
activities, pow wows, ceremonies, blessings, cultural activities, and
languages. Also, the paradigm includes health indicators, such as trends
in both physical and mental health, as well as community indicators, such
as trends in youth completing schools and trends within Tribal courts.

The paradigm also has natural resources indicators, such as reintroduction
of native species, tracking of historical land uses, availability of uncontaminated
natural resources to continue traditional practices, and availability
of traditional resources to continue on with traditional practices (e.g.,
sweet grass, berries, clays, paint, and trees).

St. Regis Mohawk, A Unique Example of a Tribal Community at Risk and
Its Solutions for Restoration

During the 1950's, the St. Lawrence River area attracted many industries
due to the region's hydropower capabilities. It was then that the St.
Regis Mohawks began to face serious environmental contamination issues.
Common environmental contaminants were PCBs, fluorides, and other industrial
pollutants, along with their by-products. Exposure to these contaminants
resulted in adverse impacts on the health of the Mohawk communities. It
was a decade later, that studies indicated that the fish were unfit for
human consumption. At that time, the Tribe thought that their best option
was to use fish advisories. Tribal members heeding the fish advisories
greatly reduced the amount of fish that had been consumed historically.
From this reduction in fish consumption, it became apparent that unintended
consequences greatly impacted the health and well being of the Tribal
community and culture.

The Tribal community, which was largely comprised of hunters, fishers,
cattleman, and farmers, was greatly impacted as a result of the advisories.
It was found that their way of life and personal identity and relationship
to their environment quickly disappeared. This included their language
and cultural activities tied to fishing, the historic economic base through
fish harvesting, and consumption of their traditional diet consisting
mainly of fish. This led to changes in their traditions and culture. The
tradition grew from a fishing-oriented culture to one that included other
foreign industries and diets. These changes resulted in more cigarette
shops, gas stations, and non-traditional trading enterprises. Negative
health impacts, such as diabetes, upper respiratory diseases, and thyroid
disorders resulting from exposures to a Western diet also became apparent.

When the Tribe recognized these problems, it was able to address the
issues and force the industries affecting their community to pay $500
million in clean-up and restoration activities. These efforts included
the installation of fluoride scrubbers and removal of the PCBs from river
sediments. Also, the Tribe was resourceful in seeking alternative traditional
Tribal resources, such as deer farming, aquaculture, and restoration of
native plant life. The Tribe also made special efforts to resume many
cultural aspects, such as basket-weaving and food preparations.

Akwesasne*

July 2003

In July 2003, a briefing was provided by James Ransom, Haudenosaunne
Environmental Task Force, to 50 participants of a Tribal environmental
conference at Akwesasne. The conference was hosted by the Akwesasne Community
Task Force on the Environment and covered environmental issues related
to the St. Lawrence River. During his presentation, Ransom highlighted
all of the traditional Tribal lifeways meetings that had been held to
date and addressed the future direction of this topic.

The Next Steps, A Tribal Perspective

by Kesner Flores

In anticipation of a National Tribal Lifeways Summit, some Tribes have
recommended that it is essential to start coordinating and planning now.
Funding opportunities must be investigated, dates and times need to be
established, and a web site must be developed to facilitate the process.
Also, people knowing other interested parties or organizations should
submit their contacts' information. A National Tribal Lifeways Summit
is a major endeavor that will require huge amounts of time and energy
over the next year. In the past, we have shared our concerns and established
goals of communication, development, outreach, and education. Now is the
time to raise awareness in a broader arena.

Our goal for the National Tribal Lifeways Summit is to have a very respectful
gathering of all people. The summit will not only include public statements,
but will be a place for gathering. Also, what is said at a meeting is
not always as important as the number of persons attending. Sometimes
battles were won by show of force without a blow being struck. Thus, it
is important to be there for the opening.

Recommendations for a Successful Summit:

Tribes, as well as national Tribal workgroups from all media (e.g.,
air, water, waste, and toxics) and the federal agencies need to communicate
information received at other meetings as a collective group.

Tribes need to evaluate the outcomes of other meetings and identify
ways to continue working on goals and initiatives. Tribes also need
to identify a responsible group or party.

There is no lead. This allows for loss of momentum. Tribal participants
shared and opened the door into their culture and existence. With proper
support and leadership, the outcomes from the Summit will benefit the
world.

The national Tribal organizations are keeping it alive, along with
EPA's media offices. However, more concerted efforts by EPA media offices
and Tribal groups are needed in order to bring this effort to the level
of attention needed in the national arena.

The final results and meeting notes (or minutes) from the Anchorage,
Alaska, April 2003 meeting were sent to the Alaska Science Commission.

Tribes need to encourage EPA offices to designate a single point
of contact. Communication efforts will benefit from this, and participation
in Tribal Lifeways efforts will only improve. With participation from
everyone, we all benefit. We are dealing with the whole circle of life
and future generations.

One Tribal organization could take the lead to facilitate all Tribal
national and media-specific groups (e.g., TPPC, TSC, NTAA, NTEC, TASWER
and Superfund workgroups).

Some Tribes also have suggested that EPA's American Indian Environmental
Office and the National Tribal Environmental Council forge a partnership
to coordinate subsistence activities, such as planning the National
Tribal Lifeways Summit for Fall 2004.

Get to Know Kesner C. Flores, Jr.

Kesner C. Flores, Jr., is a member of the Cortina Indian Rancheria
Band of California and has worked with the Tribe throughout his
life. After serving in the U.S. military, Flores helped jumpstart
the Tribe's health organization while working as a paramedic, as
well as training and instructing personnel in pre-hospital care,
disaster response and preparedness, and critical stress management.

For the past 10 years, Flores has served as Director of the Wintun
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Tribe's environmental
department. Flores also represents his Tribe as a member of numerous
national environmental organizations and executive committees. Also,
he has consulted with Tribes on governmental relations, consultation,
strategic planning, Tribal utility systems, and environmental concerns.
Flores has helped facilitate partnerships with federal and State
agencies in regards to Tribal concerns, create new national organizations,
and address science and subsistence issues with Tribes on a national
level. Currently, Kesner Flores, Jr. is working to strengthen communications
between Tribal organizations and other agencies.

Miccosukee Resort, Florida

November 2003

At the first annual meeting with the Tribal Operations Committee (TOC),
Regional Tribal Operations Committee (RTOC), and the EPA American Indian
Environmental Office (AIEO), meeting participants were updated on previous
Tribal lifeways meetings and the outcomes of those meetings. The TOC/RTOC/AIEO
meeting was held November 4-6, 2003 at the Miccosukee Resort in Florida.
During an open discussion following the update, participants at the TOC/RTOC/AIEO
meeting agreed that Tribal lifeways issues are inextricably linked to
Tribal cultural and natural resource concerns. Participants also expressed
many of the same Tribal lifeways concerns as those expressed at the previous
meetings, including Tribal information confidentiality, cultural survival,
and mining and contaminant impacts on Tribal communities.

Following the discussion, the TOC formally expressed support for:

A National Tribal Lifeways Summit to bring together Tribes and federal
agencies to advance Tribal lifeways issues

Establishment of a workgroup consisting of TOC, RTOC, and Tribal
environmental group representatives to begin the planning process for
a National Tribal Lifeways Summit

Appointment of Kesner Flores (TOC Region 9 Alternate) to develop
and implement a communications policy to engage the TOC, RTOC, Tribal
environmental groups, Tribes, and EPA in planning for the Summit.

Other Meetings That Focused on Traditional and Tribal Lifeways

Reno, Nevada, June 2002, Tribal Participants Meeting

San Francisco, California, December 2002, Planning and Discussion
meeting of the upcoming Alaska Summit

Gila River, April - May 2003

*Summaries were based upon written reports from official notes taken
at these meetings.

New Handbook on Traditional Knowledge and Intellectual Property

American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
Justin VanFleet

Realizing that traditional knowledge holders stand outside the fold of
intellectual property (IP) rights and are most often negatively affected
by them, the AAAS Science and Human Rights Program has created a handbook
that attempts to make intellectual property issues and protection options
more understandable and readily available for traditional knowledge holders,
human rights NGOs, and legal professionals. Its ultimate goal is to help
local communities understand and identify potential protection mechanisms
already present in the current intellectual property rights regime that
may be applied to their knowledge. For communities that do not wish to
participate in the IP regime, it offers suggestions and options to avoid
inappropriate claims on their knowledge by others. In addition to introducing
intellectual property concepts, this handbook contains a series of exercises
to help the user to identify and classify types of knowledge, cultural
aspects, and community goals related to specific knowledge claims.

Through a series of exercises, it is possible for traditional knowledge
holders to identify whether or not specific intellectual property protection
options are relevant and/or appropriate for their knowledge.

An electronic version of the handbook is now available for download free
of charge at: http://shr.aaas.org/tek/handbook/. Print copies will become
available in the coming weeks for a nominal fee to cover printing and
shipping charges. Check the web site for updates on distribution.

For more information, contact Stephen Hansen, American Association for
the Advancement of Science (AAAS), 1200 New York Avenue, NW, Washington,
DC, 20005, shansen@aaas.org.

"Navajo interactions with [the environment] are characterized
by a strong sense of connectedness to and respect for all living things,
including the earth, which is personified as the beloved deity, Changing
Woman. An important aspect of maintaining harmonious relations with the
universe is the recognition of humankind's place in the web of life and
the acceptance that nature is more powerful than humans."
-Trudy Griffin-Pierce

Recognition of gender roles within a culture must be incorporated into
environmental policy and program development. Women and men have different
relationships with the environment, depending on social and economic factors
that shape these relationships. Thus, policies and programs may affect
women and men negatively when they do not take into account gender roles.
In order to adopt policies that are effective and beneficial, both industrialized
and developing countries must work to recognize how outside forces, such
as structures created by the market economy, interact with cultural norms
at the macro and micro levels of a society.

Many indigenous peoples have matrilineal (or ancestral) and matrilocal
social systems that influence how the environment and land are perceived,
used, and inherited. The Navajo Nation from inside the United States borders
is a compelling example of how traditional gender roles affect resource
management. The Navajo Nation is a matrilineal and matrilocal society
that is currently confronted with environmental management issues that
stem from outside influence on gender roles. Although submersed within
the capitalistic patri-biased American society, the Navajo people nevertheless
continue to identify themselves with their mother's clan.

The roles of Navajo men and women are highly dependent on and influenced
by the environment (i.e. market systems). As with many developing nations,
the Navajo people continue to live off and depend on the land. Natural
resource extraction provides a source of livelihood for many Navajos.
The current conflict and concern over natural resource extraction is closely
associated with the differences in how Navajo women and men relate to
the environment and the land. Navajo culture has traditionally associated
the environment with female strength and differentiations between the
genders. In fact, the Navajo people have always illustrated the importance
of gender roles and kinship systems through their creation stories and
religious beliefs.

Although creation stories have depicted the struggle of power between
sexes, the fundamental message of the stories is that both genders are
to contribute equally to establish the harmony that is so vital for the
survival of Navajo people. In fact, the relationship to the environment
around Navajo people is distinguished by associating natural elements
with gender. For example, gender distinctions in creation stories include
mother earth and father sky; female rain and male rain; and dawn girl
and dawn boy. Furthermore, most Navajo deities are female, including Changing
Woman, Spider Woman, and White Shell Woman. The female gender has great
significance within the Navajo teachings because femaleness represents
the power to create life.

In the contemporary world, changing economic and social systems have
resulted in transformations within matrilineal and matrilocal societies.
For example, on the Navajo reservation, the economic and social structures
have come to mirror the western structure. A tension has been created
between traditional Navajo and western beliefs/practices, forcing the
Navajo people to live with an irresolvable dichotomy in order to survive
in a patri-biased capitalist structure. In the past, Navajo women have
been leaders in decision-making and have controlled the land. Since the
women inherited the land and had a greater vested interest, they historically
worked more closely with their environment. Although many Navajo people
continue to value the role of women in the decision-making process, the
current structure does not allow for significant female participation.
Furthermore, due to pressures from outside forces, inheritance practices
have transformed by certain degrees, depending on land use practices in
particular areas, and have decreased women's control of the land.

The importance of gender roles in environmental policy is vividly demonstrated
by the controversy over the natural resource extraction of coal mining
on Black Mesa in Arizona. Coal mining on Black Mesa has transformed traditional
Navajo practices and lifestyles and become one of the largest revenue
bases for the Navajo Nation. It has also become an extremely controversial
land use issue because of the strip mining that is transported by a slurry
line, which is depleting the N-aquifer at an astounding rate. Because
Black Mesa is one of the more secluded areas on the Navajo Reservation,
the traditional gender roles are still apparent, and the culture is primarily
matrilineal and matrilocal. The effect of coal mining on the land is heightened
for Navajo women since they will inherit this land and have a vested interest
in best land use practices. Although the current patri-biased system of
governance does not acknowledge Navajo women's role as decision-makers,
the Navajo women are fighting back and are regaining power by forming
a grassroots activist organization against the strip mining. As a result,
Navajo women on Black Mesa have been the driving force behind educating
their children and whole communities about the environmental degradation
caused by coal mining. Even more importantly, the women are replacing
the ideologies of modern patri-biased industrialized nations with a holistic
view of the world. Navajo women are empowering whole communities to return
to traditional beliefs/practices.

As is demonstrated by the Black Mesa conflict, effective policy requires
gender role structures to be examined at the macro and micro levels. Gender
roles are fundamentally related to environmental issues for the Navajo
people. In order to correct the current situation, Navajo women must not
only be given support by men at the decision-making level, but they must
once again be full and powerful participants in the decision-making process.
On a global level, differentiations between gender roles within many industrial
and developing cultures are associated with environmental use and practices.
Therefore, strategies to revive the female participation (rather than
patri-biased control) within environmental policy and program development
are critical for the world to adopt policies and lifestyles that create
a sustainable use of resources.

The Tribal Effective Asthma Management Project (TEAM)

Office of Radiation and Indoor Air
Erin Collard

Recent asthma prevalence studies have indicated that some Tribes within
EPA Region VIII have an asthma prevalence rate that is up to 2.5 times
higher than the national average. Additionally these studies have indicated
a strong need for an effective and comprehensive approach to improve and
expand the delivery of asthma management programs to the Tribes of Region
VIII.

In response to these studies, the Radiation and Indoor Environment team
of Region VIII has been collaborating with the Tribal Assistance Program
and Indian Health Services as well as other sister agencies to design
and implement the Tribal Effective Asthma Management (TEAM) Project. Unlike
past programs, TEAM is designed to develop Tribal community capacity in
assessing, understanding, and reducing exposure to environmental triggers
of asthma. The project also outlines goals that will achieve positive
outcomes that improve the patient's quality of life and provide a culturally
sensitive and coordinated delivery of asthma care.

TEAM will use Tribal Community Health Representatives to ensure that
the delivery of asthma care will be sensitive to singular Tribal needs.
The use of Tribal CHR's will be instrumental in improving patient understanding
of the disease process, learning to reduce exposure to environmental triggers,
and thus increase patient compliance in following asthma management plans.

For more information on the TEAM Project, please contact Region 8 Asthma
Coordinator Erin Collard at 303-312-6361 or collard.erin@epa.gov.

Federal Air Rules for Indian Reservations in EPA Region 10

Region 10 Office of Air Quality
Debora Suzuki

EPA's Federal Air Rules for Indian Reservations in Idaho, Oregon, and
Washington were proposed in the Federal Register on March 15, 2002. These
rules, when finalized, will be an important step in ensuring basic air
quality protection for a quarter million people on 39 Indian reservations
in the Pacific Northwest. The rules range from emission limits for industrial
sources to a general open burning rule, and they are the first building
blocks under the Clean Air Act to address such air quality issues. EPA
is proceeding with final promulgation and anticipates finalizing the rules
in the summer of 2004.

EPA Office of Air and Radiation Highlights the TAMS Learning Center

Office of Air and Radiation
Darrel Harmon

The Tribal Air Monitoring (TAMS) Learning Center serves as a training
center that assists Tribes with a variety of environmental needs, including
training for air monitoring and outdoor ambient air quality. The TAMS
Learning Center is located in Flagstaff, Arizona and was created in partnership
by the Northern Arizona University Institute for Tribal Environmental
Professionals (ITEP), EPA, and Tribes. The Center provides about ten,
weeklong workshops per year, and it's staff also provides training in
the field for individuals or Tribal organizations. Some of this training
includes equipment operation, environmental program development, data
management, quality assurance and quality control, reporting, data analysis,
and data interpretation/assessment.

By providing training and assistance in environmental work, the TAMS
Center staff participates in cross-media environmental awareness, assists
EPA in revising environmental regulations, develops new technologies in
partnership with industry, and encourages communication and technology
transfer.

The TAMS Learning Center also promotes the importance of Native American
culture and traditions as it houses displays of Native American-themed
art. Future plans for the Center include arts and crafts exhibits.

More information on the TAMS Learning Center, including conference and
meeting hosting, may be obtained by contacting Lee Anderson at 702-798-2559.

Office of Radiation and indoor Air
Chris Griffin
Adapted from Tribal Air News, August 2003, Volume 2, Issue 3

Asthma is a chronic lung disease that affects more than 15 million people
throughout the country, particularly disadvantaged populations and low-income
communities, including some American Indians communities. The prevalence
of asthma among American Indians has increased severely in the past few
years, and according to reports and studies conducted by the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), asthma is one of the top 10 causes
of death among American Indians/Alaskan Natives.

To address growing trends of asthma in Tribal homes, the Inter-Tribal
Council of Arizona (ITCA) has collaborated with EPA and other asthma risk
reduction programs to design a program to educate American Indian families
about indoor triggers within homes that may worsen or aggravate asthma.
The program also addresses school absenteeism due to indoor air quality
hazards and respiratory illnesses.

In July 2003, ITCA's Circuit Rider began traveling within Arizona and
surrounding areas to conduct the Asthma Tribal Community Training Program.
The Circuit Rider provided asthma risk reduction training, workshops,
materials and technical assistance to interested Tribes. The Asthma Tribal
Community Training Program is comprised of two components, the "Asthma
101: Introduction to Asthma and Its Indoor Triggers" training and
resource manual and the "Asthma Program Development" manual.

In addition to the Asthma Tribal Community Training Program training
manuals, ITCA also developed the following outreach and education materials
for Tribal communities:

Put Out Asthma Fire Poster

Top Ten Asthma Triggers Magnet

My Asthma Management Memo Board.

All workshops and training materials are available to all Tribal nations.
For additional questions on training or asthma awareness workshops, please
contact Tamera Dawes, the ITCA Tribal Indoor Air/Asthma Risk Reduction
Program Coordinator at 602-258-4822 or tamera.dawes@itcaonline.com.

ITEP Director Receives Air Quality Award for Work with Indian Tribes

Office of Air and Radiation
Adapted from Tribal Air News, August 2003, Volume 2, Issue 3

Virgil Masayesva, Director of the Institute for Tribal Environmental
Professionals (ITEP), was presented with the Mike Frost Memorial Achievement
Award on April 30, 2003. The award was given for Masayesva's work in leading
ITEP in air quality training and support work on behalf of Indian Tribes
throughout the United States. ITEP is a national Tribal environmental
training and support organization based at Northern Arizona University's
Dubois Center, in Flagstaff, Arizona. For ten years, ITEP has trained
more than 800 Tribal professionals in environmental management and maintains
a variety of programs in specialized support, training, and K-12 environmental
education.

Masayesva received the award from the National Tribal Environmental Council
(NTEC). During his acceptance speech, Masayesva said, "It is especially
an honor and a privilege for me to accept this award because Mike Frost
was a very close personal friend, and of course he was a colleague. I
knew Mike since 1993, when he was the first Tribal air quality professional
we recruited to help develop what is now called our American Indian Air
Quality Training Program. Mike was instrumental in getting ITEP off and
running "

The award was created in memory of Mike Frost, former Director of Environmental
Programs for the Southern Ute Tribe in Colorado. Frost was an accomplished,
Tribal air quality professional who passed in 1998.

EPA Video on New Source Review Program for Indian Country

Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards
Michelle Dubow
Adapted from Tribal Air News, August 2003, Volume 2, Issue 3

In order to communicate EPA's Clean Air Act New Source Review (NSR) program,
the Agency will produce a video to enhance outreach to Tribes. The video
will also highlight new rules that EPA is proposing to fill NSR regulatory
gaps in Indian Country, including a minor NSR rule.

EPA hopes that the video will:

Give Tribes that have not been involved in this rule development
process a basic primer on NSR and how these rules may affect them

Help Tribes comment on the rules effectively during the official
public comment period

Enable Tribes to participate in implementation in a way that is
right for them.

The video may be released as early Fall 2003. The Agency is producing
the video in partnership with Tribal air organizations, including the
Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals (ITEP). The video allows
EPA to be creative in its outreach efforts to Tribes that may not have
much experience with NSR. For example, the video will highlight specific,
NSR-related stories of Tribes with relevant experiences and will feature
Tribal environmental professionals and leaders speaking about the benefits
of these rules, as well as their ideas and concerns about the rules as
they are currently drafted.

For more information about EPA's forthcoming NSR rules for Indian country,
or to comment on the draft rules before proposal, contact Laura McKelvey,
EPA, Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards, at 919-541-5497 or
mckelvey.laura@epa.gov. For more information about the NSR video, contact
Michele Dubow, EPA Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards, at 919-541-3803
or dubow.michele@epa.gov.

Air Quality Data Work Group Formed

Office of Air and Radiation
Adapted from Tribal Air News, August 2003, Volume 2, Issue 3

Several Tribes have expressed concern about how Tribal data is currently
entered and housed in EPA's Air Quality System (AQS) database, which contains
measurements of criteria air pollutant concentrations in the United States,
as well as Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. AQS requires Tribes to
enter data under state and county codes, but some Tribes are concerned
that this process of data entry does not consider Tribal sovereignty.
EPA's Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards is interested in addressing
this concern and would like to set up a workgroup with the Tribes, Regions
and other EPA media offices to explore options that may address this concern
and modify AQS. Readers who are interested in participating should contact
Laura McKelvey at 919-541-5497 or mckelvey.laura@epa.gov Nick Mangus at
919-541-5549 or mangus.nick@epa.gov. Need to check for a deadline or period
for comments.

Tribal Emission Inventory Software System Developed

Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards
Douglas Soloman,
Adapted from Tribal Air News, August 2003, Volume 2, Issue 3

The Tribal Emission Inventory Software System (TEISS) is a project sponsored
by the Western Regional Air Partnership's (WRAP) Tribal Data Development
Working Group (TDDWG) and the Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals
(ITEP). TEISS is a software tool that can be used to calculate emission
estimates for area, mobile, and point sources specific to Tribal lands.
The TEISS also will use a Geographic Information System (GIS) interface
to facilitate development, analysis, and presentation of the emissions
inventory data.

Calculate technically defensible emission estimates that will meet
the needs of Tribes and WRAP

Create clear reports and maps that support the needs of Tribal air
quality programs and WRAP.

TEISS is scheduled to be released in early 2004 and will be made available
to all Tribes.

Tribal Air News is a quarterly, government publication produced by EPA's
Office of Air and Radiation and Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards.
The newsletter publishes articles of interest highlighting air-related
activities in Tribal communities and organizations. The Tribal Air web
site, www.epa.gov/air/Tribal also publishes similar news items.

The Power of Wind: A Rosebud Reservation Success Story

Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics
Vanessa Vandever, Navajo

Native American people, whether from the Southwest or the Plains, believe
the wind has great power. For this reason, many Native American Tribes
view the wind as a holy symbol. As a result, wind power has become an
avenue for Tribes to reclaim their sovereignty through economic self-sufficiency.
More importantly, wind energy is a clean and renewable energy that has
the potential to replace the Native Reservations' dependence on natural
resource exploitation.

The Rosebud Sioux of the Northern Great Plains opened the first Tribally
owned wind generator in May 2003. The unfavorable economic statistics
of the Rosebud Sioux Reservation will be challenged with this 750-kilowatt
wind turbine, which can produce enough electricity to serve about 300
to 350 houses according to the Rosebud Sioux Tribe Utility Commission
and InterTribal Council on Utility Policy (ICOUP). The 750-kilowatt wind
turbine has been made possible through the partnership between the Rosebud
Sioux Tribal Utility Commission and the InterTribal Council on Utility
Policy, as well as their collaboration with Tribal and non-Tribal organizations
and government and non-government organizations.

The current president of Rosebud Sioux Tribal Utility Commission, Ronald
L. Neiss, recalls the introduction of wind development on the Rosebud
Sioux Reservation in an interview conducted in a Green Power Pioneer publication.
Wind development was a vision that the late Alex "Little Soldier"
Lunderman, who served as the president of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe Utility
Commission right up to his death, had for the Sicangu Oyate (Burnt Thigh
Lakota People) on the Rosebud Indian Reservation. Lunderman believed in
the use of modern technology as well as traditional resources in a way
that was compatible with the history, philosophy, and cultural and spiritual
values. In a vision, Lunderman saw a long line of people behind him walking
toward a traditional teepee. Inside the teepee were computers and other
kinds of technologies that could be used to protect Mother Earth. He later
stated that being able to generate clean electricity from the Four Winds
could help the Rosebud Indian Reservation.

With the 750-kilowatt wind turbine in only its first stages, the full
potential of wind energy on Tribal lands is yet to be known. According
to Robert Gough, Secretary of InterTribal Council on Utility Policy, "the
Indian reservation wind potential in just North and South Dakota exceeds
well over 200,000 megawatts, which is over 100 times the currently available
hydropower generation capacity of the Missouri River." Furthermore,
the potential wind power on the reservation would replace the short-term
and usually harmful economic growth with long-term economic growth.

The United States is one of the greatest energy consuming countries in
the world, which means Americans are one of the greatest contributors
to global climate change. At a more local level, Native communities are
greatly increasing energy consumption due to casino development. To counteract
the amount of energy being consumed by Americans, communities, cities,
and states in the United States must work together to decrease the rate
at which the global climate is changing. The Rosebud Sioux Reservation
has taken a major step in the direction of renewable energy regeneration
and reopened the doors to sustainable economic development.

States and Tribes Work Together to Address P2 Opportunities

Virginia Department of Environmental Quality
Harry Gregori

Working through the auspices of EPA's Forum on State and Tribal Toxics
action (FOSTTA), representatives from states and Tribes met in June 2003
at the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Connecticut to outline opportunities
for cooperative efforts to promote pollution prevention for Tribal activities.
Jointly, the representatives identified a number of priority areas, including:

Funding opportunities were identified as an item of particular importance,
and the participants agreed to work together to coordinate with state
P2 programs to identify funding opportunities and resource sharing. In
addition, participants will look to coordinate grant and funding opportunities,
seek options for changing, or meet match requirements to improve the level
of participation by Tribes.

The states and Tribes will work with EPA to establish a Tribal Internet
site and provide for Tribal Peer Review of information and selected strategies,
as well as establish regular conference calls with representatives from
the three FOSTTA projects and EPA. In addition, the states agreed to work
with the National Tribal Environmental Council (NTEC) and the Environmental
Council of States (ECOS) to coordinate and improve effective communication
with Tribal governments.

Representatives also focused on the initiative to address lead-based
paint concerns. Participants agreed to work with EPA's Office of Research
and Development to assist in identifying opportunities to provide Health
and Environmental Education. Participants also will coordinate with ECOS
to identify various Tribal issues and priorities and seek opportunities
through other federal agencies, such as the Department of Housing and
Urban Development, and State programs to address lead abatement. Participants
will work together to connect Tribes to the P2 Resources Exchange Centers
and seek funding to improve access and information sharing.

On a larger scale, participants will work with EPA and the National Pollution
Prevention Roundtable (NPPR) to conduct a National Tribal Pollution Prevention
conference. The National Tribal Pollution Prevention Conference may be
linked to an existing conference in order to maximize opportunities for
participation.

This meeting represents the beginning of an initiative to address pollution
prevention issues with a specific focus on Tribal issues. This joint effort
will add to existing research and information to benefit States and Tribes
as they carry out their programs to protect public health and the environment.

An Example of Achieving Pollution Prevention

Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics
Adapted from "Visionary Planning for the Seventh Generation"

"It has to be good for the environment, and it has to be good
for everyone."
-Chief Ralph Sturges, Mohegan Tribe of Connecticut

The Mohegan Sun Casino was created by the Mohegan Tribe of Connecticut
in 1996. Chief Ralph Sturges of the Mohegan Tribe led the construction
of this grand casino with the help of Dr. Norm Richards. His goal was
to create a building that would benefit the members of his Tribe, yet
conserve the environment and resources surrounding them. Chief Sturges
and Dr. Richards were able to do this by incorporating pollution prevention
and the framework of "systems thinking" to analyze how different
parts of a whole are connected.

The team focused on energy use, transportation, and recycling. Instead
of receiving energy from coal-fired power plants, the Mohegan Sun relies
on fuel cells fed by natural gas. Fuel cells fed by natural gas provide
electricity with more efficiency than coal-fired power plants. "Using
less energy results in less pollution. Using less energy also saves money."
Through an agreement with UTC Fuel Cells, the Mohegan Sun Casino agreed
to become a test site and was granted use of fuel cells at no cost. Also,
the hot water produced from fuel cells is recycled as preheated water
for the boilers, as well as for the chillers within the casino.

Each guest room at the casino also includes infrared sensors. The sensors
track whether or not a room is being used. If no one occupies the room,
air conditioning and heating loads are not initiated. This further decreases
energy usage at the casino. The reduction of CO2 emissions from cars also
was a priority. Therefore, Sturges and Richards decided to use fleet hybrid
vehicles and diesel automobiles requiring reformulated diesel fuel, and
a partnership with the local school district allows the casino to save
money with the purchase of bulk fuel.

Pollution prevention through recycling was incorporated within the casino
food service division. All employees empty their cups and separate the
waste before leaving the cafeteria. Waste materials that can be recycled
are placed in individual collection containers. Used cooking oil is recycled
and sold for income, while local hog farmers receive the casino's recycled
food wastes resell their pork to the Mohegan Sun. The casino also hopes
to install a "digester" to generate natural gas from manure,
which can be used in the fuel cells to generate electricity.

Onjiakiing-From the Earth, Non-Medicinal Uses of Plants

"Treat the earth well. It was not given to you by your parents;
it was loaned to you by your children. We do not inherit the Earth from
our Ancestors; we borrow it from our Children."
(Ancient Indian Proverb)

"Treating the Earth well " is a basic principle for environmental
protection.

OPPTS Tribal News strives to promote a two-way dialogue between EPA and
the American Indian Tribes. In keeping with that goal, OPPTS would like
to highlight the CD-ROM Onjiakiing-From the Earth, Non-Medicinal Uses
of Plants, produced by the Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission
(GLIFWC).

Problems with the environment and the information telling us what is
wrong can be overwhelming at times. GLIFWC sent OPPTS this special CD-ROM
that takes an alternative approach to communicating negative issues of
the environment. The CD-ROM is a moving compilation, concerned with wild
plants in the ceded territories of the Great Lakes region and provides
detailed descriptions of the threats to the plants, by way of Tribal elders,
as well as evidence from scientific studies.

Besides results from scientific studies of the threats to the plant life
in the Great Lakes region, GLIFWC also has provided a detailed listing
of threatened plants and their uses. GLIFWC also included interview transcripts,
recipes, and traditional stories that stress the value of these threatened
plants.

Men and women shared family stories of plant use-everything from Dandelion
recipes to dyes. Mildred Ackley McGeshick, a Mole Lake elder, shared a
story of her mother's dye recipe. "She mixed colors and added apple
juice and she would get old dandelion wine from neighbors that had turned
to vinegar, add that, so the color stayed. She collected all year round
bark, weegup, and cedar. She soaked the weegup in hot water and then put
it in the dye, it was also hot, then dried it. She rolled it or wrapped
it. My dad would cut the cedar sticks. They always were looking for more
supplies. She in later years, when she had money she would buy rit dye.
But when you don't have a car and no money, she said in mother earth you
had everything you needed. She would peel the weegup and dried it and
when she needed it would soak it. My mother was artistic, she made a lot
of crafts, canoes, teepees, beadwork, etc."

Sylvia Cloud told a story of her grandmother. "When we would go
camping, we camped out at the sloughs and we camped out at the sugar bush
and all that when I was a kid. My Gramma always picked the teas you know,
late summer and that. She always had mint. And when we camped out she
always put that mint around you know where we'd sleep and that. And
ah, the bugs don't like the mint and ah, my mother didn't have any mint
and one time she went and got some Doublemint gum and put that all over
the round so the ants don't come in [laughing]. She put that all around
so it worked. That was what they used to keep the bugs out."

This CD-ROM provides an alternative to conventional education. It is
a way to pass on the acknowledgment of the threats and reasons for bringing
attention to this subject.

The Indian Program Policy Council, Senior Management at EPA Steps Up
to the Continuing Challenge

American Indian Environmental Office
Marlene Regelski-Reddoor

At the request of Bill Muszynski, former EPA Region 2 Deputy Administrator,
a memo was sent in March 2003 convening the Indian Program Policy Council
(IPPC)1. The memo, signed by Tracy Mehan,
Assistant Administrator for Water, and Jane M. Kenny, EPA Region 2 Administrator,
highlighted the importance of having a senior leadership forum to discuss
agency-wide issues in Indian country.

MISSION
The mission of the IPPC is to advise and support the Agency on major policy,
science, and implementation issues affecting EPA programs and activities
in order to enhance protection of the environment and human health in
Indian country.

PURPOSE
The purpose of the IPPC is to ensure early and effective involvement of
EPA senior management in the identification and resolution of Agency-wide
Indian program policy issues:

To create a common understanding of tribal activities and issues
among EPA programs offices and Regions

To serve as a forum for discussing Agency-wide issues affecting
Indian country

To promote multi-media, multi-office solutions to environmental
problems in Indian country

To discuss inter-Agency issues of concern and promote inter-Agency
coordination and solutions to environmental problems in Indian country

To address specific issues identified by the IPPC members

To provide for Agency-wide consideration of environmental problems
in Indian country, development of an integrated approach to address
these problems, and oversight of the implementation of a long-term,
integrated Indian program plan.

STRUCTURE AND MEMBERSHIP
The IPPC is composed of two groups, the Council and a Steering Committee.
The Council consists of Agency senior management representatives to the
EPA National Tribal Operations Committee, excluding the Administrator
and Deputy Administrator. The Council is co-chaired by TOC representatives
from the Office of Water and the Deputy Regional Administrator of the
Lead Region for the EPA Indian Program.

The Council created a Steering Committee, which consists of one representative
of each member of the Council. These representatives are selected by the
Council members to represent and speak on behalf of a Council member's
Office. The Steering Committee is chaired by the American Indian Environmental
Office Director. The Steering Committee will:

Identify cross-program, cross-media policy issues of major concern
to EPA headquarters, Regions, and other federal agencies

Elevate issues to the full Council

Develop agendas and ensure development of meeting materials for
Council meetings

Communicate IPPC activities and decisions to EPA program offices
and Regions

Monitor the status of Council decisions and report back to the Council

Recommend when additional Council meetings may be necessary.

MEETINGS
The IPPC had one organizing meeting, and a second meeting is planned to
discuss its priorities over the next year. The goal is to have the IPPC
meet at least quarterly, or more often if necessary or at the request
of the Steering Committee.

Tribal Wind Power - A Viable Strategy for Community Revitalization and
Capacity

Office of Environmental Justice
Daniel Gogal

To promote sustainable economic development in Indian country, the Federal
Interagency Working Group (IWG) on Environmental Justice chose the "Tribal
Wind Power" project as one of its 2003 Revitalization Demonstration
Projects. Over the past ten years, a confederation of Tribes in the Northern
Great Plains brought a visionary plan to harness wind energy for Tribal
economic development from a dream to reality. The InterTribal Council
on Utility Policy (ICOUP), the confederation of federally recognized Tribes
in the Northern Great Plains, has completed the unprecedented installation
of a 750 kW-wind turbine. Through partnerships with federal agencies,
ICOUP seeks to demonstrate that the development of wind energy can be
a viable strategy to provide for future economic, cultural, and community
revitalization through the development of sustainable Tribal economies.
By promoting renewable energy generation to federal and private markets
within and beyond the region, the project also helps meet the Nation's
need for renewable, clean, and environmentally safe energy sources. As
President George Bush stated in Executive Order 13212, " the
increased production and transmission of energy in a safe and environmentally
sound manner is essential to the well-being of all American people."

The wind turbine will be owned and operated by the Rosebud Sioux Tribe.
Additional information on the project can be found at www.epa.gov/compliance/resources/publications/ej/iwg_2003_demo_projects.pdf.
For more information, please contact Daniel Gogal at 202-564-2576 or gogal.daniel@epa.gov.

Consultation on Properties of Religious and Cultural Significance to
Tribes

Office of Environmental Justice
Daniel Gogal

The protection of Tribal cultural resources and sacred places is a primary
concern of many Native Americans. In order to enhance the protection of
these resources and places, the Federal Interagency Working Group (IWG)
on Environmental Justice is working to assist federal agencies and other
interested parties in identifying Indian Tribes that must be consulted
prior to federal undertakings which may impact Tribal historic or cultural
properties. These historic properties tend to have religious and cultural
significance to the Tribes.

The IWG is conducting this work through the leadership of the Advisory
Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP), a federal agency responsible
for overseeing the implementation of Section 106 of the National Historic
Preservation Act. The project is one of the IWG's demonstration projects
that promote interagency collaboration and coordination to more effectively
provide for healthy and sustainable communities.

The pilot project involves Tribes in Colorado, New Mexico, and Louisiana.
ACHP is seeking funding from various agencies to expand the project to
include more Tribes. For additional information, contact Daniel Gogal,
Co-Chair of IWG's Native American Task Force, EPA, Office of Environmental
Justice, at 202-564-2576 or gogal.danny@epa.gov. Readers also may visit
http://216.87.89.238/ACHP or www.epa.gov/compliance/environmentaljustice/interagency/index.html.

New Collaborative Problem-Solving Grants Program Established

Office of Environmental Justice
Daniel Gogal

EPA's Office of Environmental Justice Collaborative Problem-Solving Grants
Program (CPS) was established in 2003 to provide financial assistance
to eligible community-based organizations working to address local environmental
and/or public health concerns. The grants program is based on EPA's Environmental
Justice Collaborative Problem-solving Model. The model was developed with
the Federal Interagency Working Group on Environmental Justice. A report
on the model can be found at www.epa.gov/compliance/resources/publications/ej/iwg-status-02042002.pdf.

Only community-based, non-profit, non-governmental organizations located
in the same vicinity as the project are eligible to apply for a grant.
Grant awards will total $100,000 each and should be used over a three-year
period. Grant awardees from the first set of applications, which were
due September 30, 2003, will be announced by January 2004. OEJ is hopeful
that program funding will be available again in fiscal year 2004. Additional
information on the grants program can be found at www.epa.gov/compliance/environmentaljustice/grants/ej-cps-grants.html.

EPA's Compliance Assistance Centers

Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance

EPA announces new Compliance Assistance Centers for small- and medium-sized
businesses in the auto recycling and construction sectors. These new centers,
the Environmental Compliance Automotive Recyclers Center (ECARcenter)
and Construction Industry Compliance Assistance Center (CICAcenter) help
customers increase their understanding and compliance with environmental
regulations.

The ECARcenter provides information on related, state and federal environmental
rules for auto recycling facilities, as well as a virtual tour covering
topics that range from handling used antifreeze to wastewater disposal.

The CICAcenter allows builders and developers access to applicable environmental
regulations and to compliance resources.

For more information on these new centers and others, visit www.assistancecenters.net
or any of the highlighted web sites:

New Publications Available at EPA's Agriculture Compliance Assistance
Center

Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance

The agricultural community depends on EPA's Agriculture Compliance Assistance
Center (AgCenter) for up-to-date information on environmental regulations
affecting their industry. Currently, the AgCenter has made available new
EPA publications for the livestock agriculture sectors, including the
beef, poultry, swine, and dairy sectors. The four, new environmental stewardship
brochures focus on best environmental management practices for these livestock
sectors. For more information, visit www.epa.gov/agriculture or contact
the AgCenter at 888-663-2155 or agcenter@epa.gov.

LGEAN Publishes New Fact Sheets

Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance

The Local Government Environmental Assistance Network (LGEAN) has recently
published three new fact sheets on local government environmental liability
relating to air quality, solid waste, and wastewater. The fact sheets
highlight environmental violations that may result in fines, criminal
penalties, and litigation.

For more information, visit www.lgean.org or contact LGEAN at 877-TO-LGEAN
or lgean@icma.org.

EPA announces that the Environmental Information Exchange Network Grant
Program is now soliciting pre-proposals for the Program. The Exchange
Network is an Internet and standards-based information systems network
among EPA and its partners in States, Tribes, and territories. It is designed
to help integrate information, provide secure real-time access to environmental
information, and support the electronic storage and collection of high-quality
data and information. The Exchange Network provides a more efficient way
of exchanging environmental information at all levels of government and
with the public. It revolutionizes the way in which information is sent
to and received by EPA and its State, Tribal, and territorial partners.
For examples of projects that EPa has funded in the past, please see the
State and Tribal summaries of proposals that are available on the Exchange
Network Grant Program Web site at www.epa.gov/Networkg.

Pre-proposals must be received electronically at neengprg@epamail.epa.gov
no later than February 3, 2004.

Protecting U.S.-Canada and U.S.-Mexico Border Regions

Office of International Affairs, Western Hemisphere
Pete Christich

The U.S. border with Canada is approximately 5,500 miles, and the U.S.
border with Mexico is approximately 2,000 miles. Many Tribes live along
these two long U.S. borders within watersheds and airsheds which require
multi-year bi-national cooperation to help ensure that human health and
ecosystems are adequately protected. The federal governments of Canada,
the U.S., and Mexico carry out bi-national co-leadership and partnership
roles and responsibilities to help ensure that border regions are protected.

Along both U.S. borders, many international efforts - including a great
amount of regional and local transborder cooperation - monitor and assess
conditions, and prevent, as well as control, air, water, waste, and other
pollution to ensure that human health, wildlife, and their habitats are
protected. In a number of U.S. border regions, remediation of historic
pollution areas (e.g., contaminated land or toxic sediment in waterways)
has been completed or is near completion to restore impaired and adversely
impacted environmental conditions. This article highlights human health
and ecosystems protection challenges, goals, and unfinished agendas of
Tribes and EPA, as shared with others in U.S. international border regions.

A number of major bi-national environmental agreements between Canada
and the U.S. and between Mexico and the U.S. serve as important frameworks
to help protect people and ecosystems in U.S. border regions. Many of
these major bi-national agreements are fulfilled and assisted by use of
regional agreements and frameworks, which may include a partnership among
federal, provincial, state, Tribal, and First Nation agencies. A substantial
amount of binational cooperation to fulfill binational agreements and
goals on shared watersheds includes involvement and assistance of the
U.S.-Canada International Joint Commission (IJC). These bi-national agreements,
frameworks, and efforts along both U.S. borders cover many worthy unfinished
agendas which include many health and ecosystem protection goals.

Binational Environmental Agreements

Major U.S.-Canada agreements covering health and environmental protection
along the border include the 1990 Boundary Waters Treaty, 1991 Air Quality
Agreement, 1986 Agreement Concerning the Transboundary Movement of Hazardous
Waste, 1994 Joint Inland Pollution Contingency Plan, and 1978 Great Lakes
Water Quality Agreement, as amended in 1987. The IJC carries out major
responsibilities assisting the two countries with the Boundary Waters
Treaty, Air Quality Agreement, and the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement.

A major U.S.-Mexico border agreement, known as the 1983 La Paz Agreement,
covers air, water, waste pollution control, and emergency preparedness
and response along the border. Also, the two countries are assisted by
the U.S.-Mexico International Boundary and Water Commission, the Bi-national
Environment Cooperation Commission, and the North American Development
Bank.

Requirements, Goals, and Unfinished Agendas Along the U.S.-Canada
Border

The U.S.-Canada inland border of 5,500 miles includes many bi-national
watersheds, U.S. Tribal reservations and nations, and Canadian First Nations.
Along this extensive border, a great amount of environmental protection
work remains to be completed to help ensure that indigenous people, their
lands, and their waters are protected.

For over 90 years, the U.S.-Canada Boundary Waters Treaty has been in
place for the purpose of preventing and controlling water pollution to
prevent harm to people and the physical, chemical, and biological integrity
of boundary waters, including protection of migratory fisheries. This
Treaty is intended to influence the development and use of holistic and
integrated approaches to address boundary water flows, levels, quantities,
and water quality concerns and goals, including the protection of aquatic
wildlife and their habitats.

In 1998, the U.S. and Canadian governments asked their International
Joint Commission to help the two countries explore, develop, and implement
new and improved IJC bi-national approaches to achieve more holistic management
and protection of U.S.-Canada watershed's ecosystems. This long-term 1998
Canada-U.S.-IJC Treaty initiative includes goals to improve cooperation
and strengthen partnerships with U.S. Tribes, First Nations, and Tribal
nations and alliances that span the border.

The Boundary Waters Treaty focuses on the following issues and
challenges a mong EPA and Tribes.

An IJC watershed board, which helps implement the above 1998 Canada-U.S.-IJC
Treaty initiative, is underway for the New Brunswick-Maine St. Croix
River watershed. During 2003, EPA and the Passamaquoddy Tribe developed
new work on non-point sources of water pollution and on alewives research
in the St. Croix River watershed.

Federal, provincial, state, Tribal, and First Nation governments
are working together in long-term efforts through program work of the
Binational Executive Committee of the U.S.-Canada Great Lakes Waters
Quality Agreement (GLWQA). Significant public and private sector efforts
are dedicated to the reduction and elimination of persistent bioaccumulative
toxic (PBT) pollution discharges in the Great Lakes-upper St. Lawrence
River Basin ecosystem, including efforts to reduce various PBT concentrations
in fish. Tribes involved include the St. Regis Mohawk Nation, Chippewa,
and Menominee.

There are several important EPA issues related to the Upper Columbia
River. EPA is conducting an investigation of hazardous substance contamination
at the Upper Columbia River site in northeast Washington. Throughout
the investigation process, EPa has kept the Colville Confederated Tribes,
Spokane Tribe, local communities, state of Washington, Canadian federal
and provincial governments, and others informed of EPA activities.

There is environmental damage in the upper reaches of the Columbia River,
and EPA is concerned about the possible effects of contamination to
human health and the environment. EPa has determined that a remedial
investigation and feasibility study (RI/FS) of the Upper Columbia River
site is necessary. The RI/FS will evaluate the effects of contamination
on human health and the environment, as well as determine if any cleanup
action is necessary. Other projects on the Upper Columbia River include
EPA's work with the government of Canada to monitor and address temperature,
dissolved gas, and other water quality concerns, particularly those
related to dam management. This work helps protect human and ecological
health, including the health of migrating fish such as salmon and white
sturgeon. EPA will continue to keep the Tribes, local communities, governments,
and others informed of its activities at the Upper Columbia River site.

Binational cooperation on Puget Sound-Georgia Basin ecosystem protection
includes U.S. Tribes, First Nations, federal, provincial, state, and
local agencies, and others in the public and private sectors. Regional
cooperation to protect this Basin's ecosystem includes addressing expected
population growth, contaminants in wildlife, regional management and
planning to control air pollution, waste management, water pollution
control, and other issues.

Since the mid 1990s, EPA, Department of Interior, Department of
State, State of Alaska, Canadian federal and British Columbia agencies,
U.S. Tlingit Tribes/Douglas Indian Association, Taku River Tlingit First
Nation have been engaged in the review and assessment of proposed mining
development in the Alaska-British Columbia Taku River watershed. This
bi-national watershed includes hundreds of thousands of migratory salmon
and wilderness along the River and its tributaries, as well as a Taku
Tlingit traditional trail, all requiring long-term environmental protection.
On the U.S. side, the Department of State, EPA, Department of Interior
(DOI), State of Alaska, and the Douglas Indian Association (DIA) have
partnered and coordinated with Canadian counterparts on Taku River environment
and development issues on behalf of U.S. Taku Tlingit Tribes. One Taku
River issue of concern is heavy metals flowing from Canada into the
U.S.

Since 1997, a number of U.S. Tribes and First Nations together have
helped the U.S. and Canada fulfill the Boundary Waters Treaty in the
Yukon River watershed through work of the Yukon River Inter-Tribal Watershed
Council. This Council is an excellent example of how Tribal and First
Nation governments can work together to carry out efforts without waiting
for other governmental jurisdictions to take the lead. EPa has considered
supporting the development of an IJC watershed board approach for the
Yukon River.

In response to concerns of the Chippewa Tribes in upper Michigan
regarding emissions from the Algoma Steel Mill in Ontario, Canadian
and U.S. federal, state, and provincial agencies, along with the Inter
Tribal Council in Michigan and Algoma Steel company met in October 2001.
During that meeting, officials discussed the emissions that crossed
over the U.S.-Canada border and initiated bi-national cooperation to
gather air emissions and monitoring data and assessments in response
to the Chippewa's concerns about protecting human health. This cooperation
helps fulfill the U.S.-Canada Air Quality Agreement's requirements about
cross-border notification, consultation, cooperation, assessment, and,
as needed, mitigation of air pollution sources of concern along the
border.

Requirements, Goals, and Unfinished Agendas Along the U.S.-Mexico
Border

The U.S.-Mexico Environmental Program's Border 2012 Mission Statement
promotes partnership among federal, state, Tribal, and local governments
in the United States and Mexico to protect the environment and public
health in the U.S.-Mexico border region, consistent with the principles
of sustainable development.

Along the U.S.-Mexico border, EPA shares challenges and goals with Tribes,
including:

Studies on ground-level ozone and air particulates in Texas with
the Kicapoo Tribe.

Ground-level ozone, air particulates, and water quantity concerns
in the Rio Grande River in Texas with the Isleta Del Sol Tribe.

Water quantity concerns in a bi-national aquifer, drinking water
needs, waste management, air quality protection, hazardous materials
preparedness, and as needed, response to incidents, in Arizona with
the Tohono O'Odham Nation, which spans the U.S.-Mexico border.

Studies on air particulates in Arizona with the Pasqua Yaqui Tribe.

Water quality and quantity concerns in the Colorado River delta,
as well as other pollution control concerns in Arizona with the Cocopah,
Quechan, and Torres Martinez Tribes.

Along the U.S.-Mexico border, many other U.S. Tribes and indigenous people
in Mexico are involved in unfinished agenda efforts to ensure adequate
supplies of safe drinking water and waste water treatment and collection
services.

Summary Points

As the public and private sectors look back over many decades of environmental
challenges and pollution control milestones achieved in U.S. border regions,
historical facts indicate that many indigenous people and Tribes have
lived in U.S. border regions for centuries during times when border watersheds
and border ecosystems once thrived. Today, many no longer do so, and the
traditions and wisdom of the Tribes and First Nations can continue to
help increase awareness, educate, and lead North America toward sustainable
development.

It will be very helpful if readers of this article recommend specific
topics about Tribal issues in U.S. border regions that could be reported
in futures issues of this EPA newsletter, as well as those that could
be discussed in special meetings and teleconferences. If you have recommendations
or questions regarding U.S. border issues, please contact Pete Christich,
EPA, at 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue (MC2650R), Washington, DC 20460, 202-564-6404,
or christich.pete@epa.gov.

A Look at OSWER's Tribal Waste Journal

Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response

May 2002 marked the first publication of EPA's Office of Solid Waste
and Emergency Response (OSWER) Tribal Waste Journal (TWJ). The annual
release of the news journal features a different topic and presents related
ideas, approaches, and activities successfully employed by Tribes and
villages. Each edition showcases "The Tribal Voice," an activity-packed
"Kids Page," and a section of topic-related "Resources"
and "Contacts." Since premiering its May 2002 publication, OSWER
has focused on (1) preventing illegal dumping and (2) transfer stations.
Some highlights of related stories are featured below. If readers have
questions regarding OSWER's TWJ, please contact Janice Johnson, EPA, Office
of Solid Waste and Emergency Response (5306W), 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue,
Washington, DC, 20460, johnson.janice@epa.gov, or visit www.epa.gov/Tribalmsw.

Tribal Waste Journal, May 2002

The May 2002 edition focused on illegal dumping within Indian country.
News and informational articles summarized cleanup initiatives and prevention
programs related to this topic. Several reservations shared success stories
of alternative waste disposal programs, partnering for success, and multi-faceted
clean up programs. TWJ also highlighted the San Carlos Apache reservation
for their work in collecting unwanted and abandoned cars and white goods
and selling the scraps to a local scrap metal vendor. The edition also
targeted articles on community outreach and involvement, enforcement programs,
and program assessment strategies, all related to the prevention of illegal
waste dumping.

In May 2002, OSWER also published an interview with a Tribal Voice, Judy
Pratt-Shelly, Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, and her mother
Grace Deragon. Pratt-Shelly is the Treaty and Natural Resources Division
chief and Executive Environmental Programs Director for the Tribe. Deragon
is a Tribal elder. Pratt-Shelly and her mother shared their experience
with the environmental concerns regarding household waste and illegal
dumping within their community.

Tribal Waste Journal, May 2003

The May 2003 edition focused on transfer stations. This edition showcased
a step-by-step guide for creating a waste transfer station, including
developing a solid waste management plan, conducting a waste assessment,
conducting site visits, performing a feasibility study, and operation
and maintenance. TWJ's May 2003 edition also targeted articles on community
involvement, the need for Tribal councils, and funding opportunities.
The edition also highlighted seven operating Tribal waste transfer stations.
Again, OSWER published an interview with a Tribal Voice, Kim Clausen-Jenson,
Oglala Sioux Environmental Protection Program Director. Clasuen-Jenson
promoted her reservation's landfil and funding through partnerships with
government agencies to support their station's project.

Brownfields 2003, Growing a Greener America

Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response, Office of Brownfields Cleanup
and Revitalization

The Brownfields 2003 Conference, Growing a Greener America, took place
on October 27-29, 2003 in Portland, Oregon. At the Oregon Convention Center,
over 4,100 experts, practitioners, and other stakeholders participated
in a three-day conference program, which included educational sessions,
mobile workshops, general sessions, a town meeting plenary, exhibits,
and receptions. Mobile workshops offered a unique venue for examining
successful brownfields projects in and nearby Portland. At the town meeting
plenary, participants were encouraged to ask experts questions related
to brownfields projects. The Phoenix Awards Ceremony was also part of
the agenda, where winning project participants were honored and recognized
for excellence in brownfields redevelopment. The conference brought together
key experts from all levels of government, business, finance, and local
communities to share ideas and experiences in the fields of urban and
environmental redevelopment.

A Native American Gathering took place the day before the conference
where Tribal representatives had the opportunity to meet with EPA officials
to specifically discuss brownfileds-related issues of Tribal interest.

More details on this conference and its resulting success can be obtained
from www.brownfields2003.org, and will be featured in the next OPPTS Tribal
News issue, due Spring 2004. Brownfields 2004 Conference is scheduled
to take place in St. Louis, Missouri, on September 20-22, 2004.

Kids' Page

On October 31, 2003, the National Tribal Environmental Council (NTEC)
and EPA collected the final entries from children in grades K-12 for the
OPPTS Tribal News "A Design the Kid's Page Contest." The contest
began in Spring 2003 and was extended until October because of the great
number of interested participants. Over 80 students participated in the
contest. These intelligent students displayed creativity and thoughtfulness
as they depicted environmental awareness of their indigenous communities
in the form of an activity or drawing for the Kid's Page, which is featured
regularly in OPPTS Tribal News.

Kid's Page designs of the top three winners are featured on the following
pages. The Grand Prize Winner, Michael Wassily, is a 7th grader at Clarks
Point School, Clarks Point, Alaska. Michael's Kid's Page design, "Puzzle
Code," features a coded message and the subsistence life of the Alaskan
community. Congratulations Michael on your award and prizes. What a wonderful,
detailed design!

Ameraiah Joe, a 3rd grader in the Kayenta Unified School District, Kayenta,
Arizona, received the First-Place Winner award and prize. Ameraiah's Kid's
Page design, "I Live In A Good Home," displays incredible detail
of the culture and lifeways in the Dine' community. Isiah Wauneka, a 7th
grader at Tse Ho Tso Intermediate, Window Rock, Arizona, submitted his
vision of pollution from glass and metal and the benefits of recycling,
titled "Keep the Rez Clean." Isiah received the Second-Place
Winner award and prize. All entries were judged by Karen Ware, NTEC Office
Manager, and Jim Rivera, Institute of American Indian Arts Professor.

"Puzzle Code," Michael Wassily, Grand Prize Winner

"I Live In A Good Home," Ameraiah Joe, First-Place Prize Winner

Keep the Rez Clean," Isiah Wauneka, Second-Place Prize Winner

Tribal Success in OSWER Waste Programs

In September 2002, EPA's Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response
(OSWER) published the Environmental Justice Success Stories Report (FY
1999-2001). This report summarized some of OSWER's efforts to incorporate
environmental justice into its programs, including Brownfields Training
and Revitalization; Superfund; Resource Conservation and Recovery Act
(RCRA); Environmental Justice Awareness Training; and Community Involvement,
Outreach, and Planning programs. The following paragraphs summarize some
of the successes that Tribes have had in these programs.

In Region 8, the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians in North Dakota
initiated the San Haven Redevelopment Brownfields Project. Under the San
Haven Redevelopment Project, the Tribe purchased the former State Mental
Rehabilitation Hospital, located near the Reservation, in 1992. The State
conducted initial remediation activities at the site, including the removal
of asbestos contamination, underground storage tanks, and contaminated
soil and water. In 1998, the Tribe evaluated the extent of contamination
remaining at the site, under a Brownfields Site Assessment grant from
EPA. During this same period, Turtle Mountain Community College received
a Brownfields Job Training grant, the first to be awarded from EPA to
a Tribe.

A contaminant survey was conducted at the site by the Bureau of Indian
Affairs, which decided not to bring the property into the Tribal Trust
until contamination issues at the site have been resolved. The project
also became part of the ten-year strategic plan for Roulette County, a
U.S. Department of Agriculture "Champion Community" and a U.S.
Department of Commerce Underutilized Business Zone. Multiple options have
been discussed for future uses of the site, including refurbishing building
for use as Tribal youth rehabilitation centers, student training for salvage
and resale operations, and the development of tours of teepee rings, a
burial site, and the foundations of an old Scandinavian settlement village
discovered at the site. The Tribal Brownfields Project Manager is currently
researching and applying for additional sources of funding, including
grants for cleanup and redevelopment activities from the Economic Development
Administrations, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development,
and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Administration for
Native Americans.

Benefits of the San Haven Redevelopment Project include: reestablishing
600 acres; creating new and sustainable jobs for Tribal residents; addressing
health and safety concerns related to contamination, vandalism, and structural
issues at the site; providing an opportunity for the Tribe to share its
cultural history and values with a much larger population; and establishing
or improving partnerships with a number of local, regional, and federal
agencies and organizations.

In addition to the Brownfields project described above, Tribal groups
have conducted activities under Superfund, including the following:

Eastern Surplus Company Superfund Site: Cleanup and Cultural
Resource Protection (Region 1) - A major aspect in the cleanup of
this site was the mitigation of impacts to cultural resources of the
Passamaquoddy Indian Tribe more than 9,000 years old. EPa hired professional
archaeologists to excavate a portion of the site and documents the cultural
resources, funded a study of the artifacts by the Passamaquoddy Tribe,
provided internships to Tribal members to participate in the Project,
and agreed to develop outreach exhibits about the cleanup and cultural
resources discovered at the site.

Superfund Cleanups Conducted in Massena, New York, with Tribal
Assistance (Region 2) - The Reynolds Metal Company and General Motors
Superfund sites are located directly upstream from St. Regis Mohawk
Tribal Lands. Representatives of the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe's Environment
Division were actively involved with the cleanup at both sites. Through
a Support Agency Assistance Grant, the Tribe monitored the PRP's performance
during each cleanup, joined with EPA inspectors on an inspection of
dredging operations, using the Tribe's research and enforcement boat,
performed a sampling and analysis program, and conducted community outreach.

All-Indian Pueblo Council's Pueblo Office of Environmental Protection
Dip Vat Bioremediation Pilot Project (Region 6) - EPA Region 6 has
undertaken an initiative to enhance the role of states and Tribes in
Superfund activities. As part of this initiative, EPA trained members
of the Zuni Environmental Protection Office and the Acoma Environmental
Office to bioremediate pesticide-contaminated sheep dipping vats. Those
members can now use their training to bioremediate other contaminated
sheep dipping vats on Pueblo land.

Dynamite Removal Near the Sisseton-Wahpeton Sioux Tribe's Village
in Sisseton, South Dakota (Region 8) - This site consists of 146
cases of dynamite and 40 cases of blasting caps buried in a field near
the town of Agency Village, home to approximately 500 members of the
Sisseton-Wahpeton Sioux Tribe. In 1999, EPA's Emergency Response Program
directed the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to evaluate the site. The
Bureau of Indian Affairs interviewed witnesses, and brought in the U.S.
Air Force Explosives Detection K-9 Unit, eventually finding three burial
areas at the site. The disposal method selected for the site was in-place
detonation. For safety reasons, it was decided that the entire town
would be evacuated prior to detonation occurring. The Sisseton-Wahpeton
Sioux Tribe was an active participant in meeting the challenges of temporarily
housing 500 Tribal members.

Navajo Abandoned Uranium Mine Project, Water Data Outreach Effort
(Region 9) - In 2001, Tribal and federal representatives met with
30 different Navajo chapters to provide information on the more than
1,150 abandoned uranium mine sites found on the Navajo Nation and their
potential impact on water quality. This outreach effort involved relaying
information regarding a sampling program for non-regulated water sources
to determine if they were detected by mining activities, and was conducted
in both Navajo and English. The team presented information about how
to reduce exposure to contaminated water and the abandoned uranium mine
sites, including physical hazards and miner compensation claims.

EPA OSWER environmental justice activities also include projects conducted
under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) program. In Region
2, the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe used RCRA grant money to provide training
for the Indian Nations of the Region in the initiation and improvement
of solid waste management activities. Specialized workshops were developed
as the result of a poll of the region's Indian Nations. Workshops were
presented by national Tribal experts in the areas of composting, management
and prevention of tire piles and open dumps, waste transfer stations,
regulation writing, and program development and resources.

In Region 10, EPa has issued grants of up to $220,000 over the last five
years to the Alaska Native Health Board. These grants are used to clean
up open dumps containing shipping materials, lubricants, and paints and
solvents from abandoned radar installations and small airports used during
the cold war by the U.S. Department of Defense. The ANHB in turn provides
smaller grants to the individual Alaska Tribal communities, to directly
involve the communities in education, design, planning, and training to
clean up the problem.

Also in Region 10, EPA and the Pt. Gamble S'Klallam Tribe conducted and
participated in an arsenic metabolism study. The study was conducted as
the result of contamination from the closed Kitsap County Landfill. In
1989, Tribal biologists discovered elevated levels of arsenic, cadmium,
chromium, and vinyl chloride in an aquifer on the reservation, and discovered
vinyl chloride in wetland on the reservation and in a fish-bearing stream
near the reservation. Over a period of approximately ten years, investigations
were conducted at the site by the Tribe, with assistance from EPA and
the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and the Washington State Department of Ecology,
with assistance from Parametrix, Inc. and Kitsap County. The metabolism
study is being conducted as part of the investigation into risks at the
site.

For more information on Brownfields programs, as well as RCRA, Superfund,
Environmental Justice or Community Outreach, readers may visit www.epa.gov/oswer.
Readers may also find contact information for the programs/success stories
highlighted in this article by ordering copies of OSWER's Environmental
Justice Success Stories Report (FY 1999-2001). Request copies by contacting
Kent Benjamin, 202-566-0185, benjamin.kent@epa.gov.

Tribes and the Brownfields Law

In January 2002, President George W. Bush signed the Small Business Liability
Relief and Brownfields Revitalization Act (SBLRBRA). The law expanded
the Brownfields activities EPA can support and increased funding for grants
and other programs. Specifically, the Act provides increased funding for
assessments and cleanups, as well as enhances the roles of State and Tribal
programs in brownfields management. The Act also provided targeted liability
amendments to the Comprehensive Environmental Reclamation Compensation
Liability Act (CERCLA). Application guidelines for these programs can
be found at www.epa.gov/brownfields. The deadline for proposal submittals
for fiscal year 2004 assessments, revolving loan fund, and cleanup grants
was December 4, 2003. The deadline for proposal submittals for fiscal
year 2004 job training grants was December 1, 2003. Note that the next
cycle for requests of grant proposals is expected to be in the first quarter
of fiscal year 2005.

Examples of How Tribes Can Benefit From The Brownfields Law:

Expanded definition of a Brownfields site may more closely describe
the types of sites of concern in Indian country

Potential to address hazardous substances and pollutants, including
biohazards, may allow Tribes to address common problems, such as decaying
school buildings with potential reuse

Ability to address assessment and cleanup of contamination from
petroleum products

Ability to address assessment and clean up of mine-scarred lands

Opportunity to establish and enhance Tribal response programs

Opportunity for Tribes to create inventories of Brownfields sites

New, more flexible authorities for funding Brownfields training,
technical assistance, and research

Summary of The Brownfields Law:

Brownfields Revitalization Funding (SBLRBRA - Subtile A)

Provides legislative authority for a Brownfields Program, including
grants for

assessment programs up to $350,000 per site

cleanup programs up to $350,000 per site (nonprofit organizations
are eligible for direct cleanup grants)

Streamlines requirements for the Brownfields cleanup revolving loan
fund and makes funding available to governmental units, including Tribes

Makes funds available for technical assistance, training, and research
in amounts that do not exceed 15% of the funding appropriated for subtitle
A.*

State And Tribal Response Program (SBLRBRA - Subtitle C)

Provides more certainty of liability relief when certain properties
are cleaned up under State response programs

Authorizes $50 million per year in funding to establish and enhance
States and Tribal response programs

Expands activities eligible for funding of State and Tribal programs

*Note that Alaskan Tribes, with the exception of the Metlakala are not
eligible for Subtitle A funding.

For more information on the Brownfields Program, visit www.epa.gov/brownfields/
or call an EPA Brownfields Contact at 202-566-2777.

A New Gateway to Science from EPA and American Indians

Office of Research and Development
Claudia Walters

Have you ever wondered what scientific information and tools are available
to address environmental issues in Indian Country? Are you interested
in knowing more about scientific projects being carried out by Tribes
and EPA in your area? Would you like to learn more about traditional ecological
knowledge? Do you have information on scientific activities related to
Indian Country that you would like to share with others?

EPA worked with Tribal representatives to create a resource to help answer
these questions, the "Science and American Indians" web site
at www.epa.gov/osp/tribes.htm. The web site is a gateway to scientific
information from both Tribes and EPA, including:

Information and Products relating to National EPA-Tribal Science
Council activities.

The site is intended to be used by a wide range of individuals, from
those who have little scientific experience to those who are very knowledgeable
and trained. In addition to providing scientific information from EPA
and other Federal agencies, the "Science and American Indians"
web site is designed to enhance the sharing of scientific knowledge and
experiences from Tribes across Indian Country.

The "Science and American Indians" web site was created through
an iterative process using multiple focus groups and one-on-one feedback
sessions with Tribal representatives who contributed greatly to the design,
content, and text. Key to the overall development of the site were Veronica
O'Leary of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe and Barbara Gray of the Haudenosaunee
Environmental Task Force. Ms. O'Leary was primarily responsible for developing
the graphical design of the web site and, importantly, arranging and conducting
usability tests with various Tribal representatives and groups, including
tribal members at EPA, Washington Internships for Native Students from
across the country and Tribal representatives from the Navajo Nation,
Cherokee Nation, and Tribal Association on Solid Waste and Emergency Response.
Ms. Gray provided invaluable guidance on Tribes and traditional knowledge.
She also reviewed draft components of the web site and offered input into
the language used. In addition, she organized a test of the initial draft
web site by Tribal elders, community members, and environmental professionals
associated with Haudenosaunee Environmental Task Force, which provided
critical feedback during site development.

Soliciting a wide range of input was important in the development process
since the "Science and American Indians" web site strives to
provide scientific information from different perspectives thereby highlighting
the various processes by which we explain the world around us - representing
our "Ways of Knowing." The site aims to demonstrate that analytically-based
science, which relies on collecting information through a path of linear,
standardized steps, is one approach people use to explain the world. Tribal
traditional knowledge, which encompasses a range of ways that people living
indigenous lifestyles perceive, think, act, and "come to know"
their world, is another approach to solve environmental problems. Furthermore,
scientists of all disciplines have begun to recognize the importance of
integrating the information from the various scientific approaches. The
"Science and American Indians" web site attempts to provide
science information from these various approaches when addressing environmental
concerns.

The "Science and American Indians" web site will be a component
of the "Tribal Portal," which is still under development. The
"Tribal Portal" will provide a single point of entry for Tribes
to access environmental regulatory, policy and programmatic information
and assistance. The "Science and American Indians" site will
serve as the link to environmental science-related information. Until
the "Tribal Portal" is operational, the AIEO web site (can be
used to access information on EPA environmental policy, regulations, and
general funding opportunities.

The current version of the "Science and American Indians" web
site is intended to be a starting point. Content will be added to the
site on an ongoing basis, and efforts will be made to gather additional
information from other agencies and Tribes. Future iterations of the site
will broaden both the educational aspect of the site and the depth with
which particular topics are covered so that all users will find the site
beneficial. You are encouraged to take a look at the "Science and
American Indians"web site at and make suggestions for improvement
or additions to Claudia Walters, Office of Research and Development, at
or call 202-564-6762.

EPA Science Forum, May 2003

Office of Research and Development

EPA's Office of Research held its annual Science Forum in Washington,
DC May 5-8, 2003. The Science Forum featured a host of speakers, exhibits,
panel discussions, and events. Several speakers from Tribal governments
and organizations also participated, and summaries of their sessions are
highlighted below.

EMAP Tribal Perspectives

The Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program (EMAP) is an ongoing
EPA project that supplies scientists and researchers with tools to better
estimate regional, environmental indicators in order to assess environmental
conditions.

Mr. Davis, Nez Perce Tribe scientist, described the goals of the Nez
Perce Tribe and the role of Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program
EMAP in their local science objectives. Nez Perce is one of the first
Tribes to adopt an EMAP approach with their own funds.

Nez Perce is located in north central Idaho and includes approximately
750,000 acres. The Tribe is split into four counties, including Clearwater,
Nez Perce, Lewis, and Idaho. Approximately 30 percent of the reservation
is Tribally-owned. The remainder of the reservation has been sold to industrial
companies or other businesses. The Tribal reservation has diverse landscapes,
and therefore, requires diverse approaches when managing their environment.
Most of the reservation's land is used for cultural activities, agriculture,
recreation, timber management, and live stock management.

Nez Perce gained interest in the EMAP project when Mr. Davis attended
an EMAP training in June 2001. Mr. Davis encouraged the Tribe to fund
its own EMAP program, and in 2002, Davis and other scientists started
a training review of EMAP field sampling protocols. In 2003, the Tribe
initiated it's sampling for EMAP data and will complete a final report
of its findings and results in 2005.

The Nez Perce Tribe will use EMAP bioassessment applications to develop
water quality standards and criteria, complete a 303d list of impaired
areas based on the state of their aquatic community, and create total
maximum daily loadings, among other project goals. EMAP will play a major
role in assessing the current condition of streams within the reservation.

Tribal Partnerships in Pesticide Management to Protect Human
Health

Ms. Ryan, Big Valley Rancheria, explained the traditions of the Big Valley
Rancheria reservation and goals to improve their environment. The environmental
goals of the Big Valley Rancheria are to gather information on possible
health hazards and provide outreach to the community. In order to meet
traditional and environmental goals, Big Valley Rancheria uses income
from its Tribal-owned casino and also relies on grants from the U.S. Department
of Housing and Urban Development, EPA, and U.S. Department of Interior.

Pesticide management and community recycling are priority goals. Hunting
and gathering from the lands of Big Valley Rancheria is a long noted tradition
of the community. Big Valley is a descendent of the Xa-ben-na-po Band
of Indians, and Xa-ben-na-po is defined as hunters and gatherers. The
Tribal members occupy 375 acres and are committed to protecting its lands.
However, pesticides use in Lake County has resulted in diverse environmental
and human health effects within their community.

Pesticides are used to protect pear, walnut, and apple trees, and wine
grapes. There are residents that live as close as 60 ft-100ft to pear
and wine grape orchards, respectively. Tribal schools are less than 40
feet from pear orchards, and residents along Soda Bay Road are less than
50 feet from pear orchards. Elders also have documented pesticides use
outside of their homes. These repeated exposures have resulted in asthma
in five family members.

It is vital that Big Valley Rancheria address pesticides use and pesticides
drift in the areas lying between Lake County and the reservation. Tribal
members use plants as foods and medicines, baskets built with plants,
plant products used for cooking utensils and ingredients, and even baby
rattles. These uses of plants result in exposure to pesticides. Other
Tribal environmental issues that remain include native plants, repatriation
of items, fish warnings, mercury, and pesticide found in Clear Lake.

Ms. June Gologergen-Martin, St. Lawrence Island, along with Tribal member
Viola Waghiyi, explained the goals of the St. Lawrence Tribe and support
from the Alaska Community Action on Toxics (ACAT) program. There exist
229 Tribes in Alaska, and St. Lawrence is a Tribal-owned island. St. Lawrence
has worked to address issues of limited funding, information gathering
of nature and extent data on island contaminants, the exclusion of their
local input into decision-making efforts of surrounding areas, and contaminants
resulting from U.S. military sites. The island also recognizes trends
in local and traditional knowledge and wisdom not being adequately integrated
into younger generations. In order to address some of these challenges,
members of the St. Lawrence island community work with ACAT. The initial
support from ACAT resulted from a meeting with the former Annie Alowa
with ACAT and the receipt of a grant to help the St. Lawrence community
address the health issues prevalent on the island.

With help from ACAT, St. Lawrence partners with the communities of Gambell
and Savoonga, Norton Sound Health Corporation, and State University of
New York to achieve several environmental goals, including the following:

Develop strategies to increase funding allocated to the U.S. Department
of Defense for clean-up statewide and nationally

Develop strategic partnerships for policy advocacy needs

Increase elder input.

On a project-basis, St. Lawrence is working with other organizations
to identify sources of contamination affecting the communities of Saint
Lawrence Island, including the military sites and distant sources; determine
health problems that may be linked to environmental contamination; and
develop clean up protocols for contaminated sites. The Tribe also hopes
to create a training program about prevention and treatment of environmental
health problems and develop a model of communication that might be helpful
for other Alaska Native communities in addressing environmental contamination.

To date, the Tribe established an advisory committee with representation
from the Tribal government, city council, and village corporation of the
Savoonga and Gambell communities; held leadership and community meetings
in Gambell and Savoonga; completed portions of a pilot study to determine
environmental exposures to contaminants, as well as other environmental
studies; and held planning meetings with community leaders.

Bioaccumulative Toxics in Native American Shellfish

Mr. Campbell and Ms. Jamie Donatuto of the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community
discussed their current project of studying bioaccumulative toxics in
subsistence-harvested shellfish on the Swinomish reservation. Their current
project is supported by EPA ORD grant. The Swinomish reservation is located
75 miles north of Seattle, Washington, and has 750 Tribal members currently
living on the reservation. Their reservation covers approximately 7,400
acres, and 2,900 acres are Tribal-owned. Their reservation is unique in
that 90 percent of their land is surrounded by water. Therefore, shellfish
are vital to their community and is a subsistence food of the Swinomish
Tribe. Shellfish are incorporated into the common diet and sold to produce
funding for the Tribal families. The community has environmental and human
health concerns because heavy metals, PCBs, lead, mercury, and dioxins
and furans are common contaminants found in the nearby waters and in the
shellfish.

In order to address these concerns, the Swinomish Tribe uses their grant
funding to achieve the following goals:

Determine whether Swinomish people who eat shellfish harvested from
the reservation or other nearby areas are exposed to bioaccumulative
toxics by testing sediment, clams, and crabs

Effectively communicate those risks in a culturally appropriate
manner

Develop mitigation measures

Confirm major health problems on the reservation that may be related
to eating contaminated shellfish

Develop hypotheses between the health problems and toxics found.

Testing of the shellfish, as well as land involves sample collections
of sediment and clams and crabs (shellfish) and developing additional
protocols to prevent further contamination. The reservation scientist
will collect data to determine concentrations and other information on
heavy metals, such as arsenic, copper, cadmium, selenium, mercury, lead,
and nickel; PCBs; PAHs; dioxins/-furans; chlorinated pesticides; and butyltins.
Sample sites were chosen based on historic and present frequencies of
subsistence food gathering.

The reservation also is completing their Tox in a Box ambassador's guide
that will educate school age children on toxics in the community and common
health effects determined from their studies. Tribal members also participate
in community gatherings where reservation scientist disseminates environmental
and human health information. Finally, the Tribe provides public service
announcements on the Swinomish cable channel to communicate findings and
risks.

EPA offers Minority Academic Institutions Undergraduate Fellowships for
bachelor level students in environmentally-related fields of study. Subject
to availability of funding, the Agency plans to award approximately 15
new fellowships by July 23, 2004. Eligible students will receive support
for their junior and senior years of undergraduate study and for an internship
at an EPA facility during the summer between their junior and senior years.
The fellowship provides up to $17,000 per year of academic support and
up to $7,500 of internship support for a three-month summer period.

EPA also offers Minority Academic Institutions Graduate Fellowships for
master and doctoral level students in environmentally related fields of
study. Subject to availability of funding, the Agency plans to award approximately
20 new fellowships by July 23, 2004. Master's level students may receive
support for a maximum of two years. Doctoral students may be supported
for a maximum of three years, with funding available, under certain circumstances,
over a period of four years. The fellowship program provides up to $37,000
per year of support.

EPA, as part of its Science to Achieve Results (STAR) program, offers
Graduate Fellowships for master's and doctoral level students in environmentally
related fields of study. Subject to availability of funding, the Agency
plans to award approximately 50 new fellowships by July 23, 2004. Master's
level students may receive support for a maximum of two years. Doctoral
students may be supported for a maximum of three years, with funding available,
under certain circumstances, over a period of four years. The fellowship
program provides up to $37,000 per year of support.

Integrated Monitoring and Assessment for Effective Water Quality Management
Symposium

Office of Research and Development
Brian Melzian

EPA's Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program's (EMAP's) 2004
Symposium, titled "Integrated Monitoring and Assessment for Effective
Water Quality Management" will be held in Newport, Rhode Island during
May 3 - 7, 2004. EPA's Office of Research and Development (ORD), the Council
of State Governments (CSG), and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
(NOAA) jointly sponsor the symposium. During the symposium, experts will
describe how advances in monitoring and assessment are targeted to meet
emerging state and Tribal needs and illustrate examples of research and
technology transfer that have led to more efficient, less expensive, and
more scientifically rigorous monitoring and assessment programs.

Tribes are strongly encouraged to submit abstracts that relate directly
or indirectly to one of the following symposium themes:

Monitoring of Aquatic Resources

Methods to Integrate Monitoring and Assessment for Clean Water Act
Reporting

Monitoring to Establish Aquatic Life Uses, Develop Criteria, and
Evaluate Use Attainment.

Please note that the deadline for ABSTRACTS submission is January 30,
2004. The ABSTRACTS will then be reviewed for possible inclusion as a
platform or poster presentation during the symposium.

Complete instructions for ABSTRACTS submissions, along with registration
information for the symposium and hotels, are posted on the symposium
web site at www.csg.org. Once entering the web site, readers must enter
the keyword "EMAP." Further information on the EMAP 2004 Symposium
can be obtained from Brian D. Melzian, Ph.D., EPA (NHEERL), 401-782-3188,
melzian.brian@epa.gov or Amanda Mays, The Council of State Governments,
859-244-8236, amays@csg.org.

Dr. N. Scott Urquhart, Colorado State University
Dr. Jim Moore, Office of Research and Development

Data occupies a central role in many of the actions taken by EPA and
its affiliates in the Tribes and States. For data to provide suitable
information for these actions, it needs to be appropriate for the situation.
The scientific discipline of statistics focuses on gathering and analyzing
data so that relevant questions may be answered in an unbiased way, including
environmental questions. This article describes the development of some
individualized materials designed to help water quality personnel in the
Tribes and States to learn how to apply statistical sampling and analysis
to their monitoring work.

EPA's Office of Research and Development (ORD) has conducted monitoring
research through it's Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program
(EMAP) since 1989. In recent years, EMAP has focused on developing methods
and approaches for aquatic resources. Statistics plays a substantial role
in these methods especially for site selection and analysis. These new
approaches are supported by the EPA's Office of Water. They are also being
used by some States in meeting the reporting requirements of section 403(b)
of the Clean Water Act. Several Tribes have begun using these methods
to evaluate the status and trends in their aquatic resources, and at least
one of EPA's regional offices is strongly encouraging Tribes in that Region
to use these methods.

ORD sponsors extramural research under the auspices of the Science to
Achieve Results (STAR) program in the National Center for Environmental
Research. The statistical research conducted for the STAR program focuses
on developing innovative methods that are important for protecting human
health and the environment.

In 2000, STAR issued a Request for Applications (RFA) to develop two
research programs on Statistical Survey Design and Analysis for Aquatic
Resources. The RFA included the specific wording "Proposals should
specifically address the extension of expertise on design and analysis
to States and Tribes. Such a component should consider the level of statistical
training that may be extant in State and Tribal environmental management
and resource agencies. Research on and demonstration of distance learning
concepts that allow individuals with basic statistics training to study
and understand the concepts of design and analysis statistics are encouraged."
The successful applicants, Colorado State University (CSU) and Oregon
State University (OSU), submitted coordinated proposals that included
a specific plan for responding to this requirement. The CSU program is
called "Space-Time Aquatic Resources Modeling and Analysis Program"
(STARMAP); the OSU program is called Designs and Models for Aquatic Resource
Surveys"(DAMARS).

As part of these two research programs, learning materials are being
developed to help educate people on how to use statistics in collecting
and analyzing water quality data. This research on outreach investigates
two concepts in knowledge transfer: method of delivery or presentation,
and relevance of content. Usable learning materials must address both
of these concepts. The requirement for distance learning in the RFA is
satisfied by developing individualized materials usable at a remote site.
Currently, most learners are familiar with web browsers and the Internet
but Internet use has some substantial limitations for learning. STARMAP
and DAMARS proposed, among other things, to develop, test and distribute
learning materials on a CD ROM(s) that are based on web-browser technology
and incorporate several types of actions that may be individually selected
which are termed as individualizations. The approach does not use the
Internet for several reasons:

Learners can become very frustrated by download delays due to Internet
traffic and/or slow connections to the Internet;

Parts of the anticipated materials could be useful in remote field
sites, especially for training, which precludes their availability on
the Internet for the foreseeable future;

Internet accessible materials need to be composed to accommodate
all versions of major browsers, including legacy ones of much more limited
capabilities than current ones;

Some of the anticipated individualizations may be executed more
simply and accurately in a controlled software environment than in a
general one.

Using the Director's experience, discussions with staff in the regions
who conduct monitoring, and a limited study of Tribal needs, researchers
for STARMAP and DAMARS began to investigate possible content for these
learning materials by relying on the Directors' experience in working
with resource managers in the target organizations, with discussions and
communications with EPA regional personnel that have monitoring responsibilities,
and by conducting a limited study of Tribal needs by using Water Quality
Technology, Inc. (WQYI). Steven Johnson of WQTI, works closely with about
15 western Tribes, mainly in EPA Region 9, on water quality issues, and
prepared a personal interview form in collaboration with the Director
of STARMAP. Because a high response rate was not expected for an impersonal
mail form, Steven filled out the form during in conversations with Tribal
water-quality personnel as a part of his regular visits. His report included
these recommendations:

Tribes need regulatory guidance to develop water quality monitoring
plans in the form required for Section 305(b) reporting which is currently
required for states only.

Tribes voiced the need to have the monitoring and protection of
cultural uses of waters addressed in instructional materials.

Tribes voiced the need for temporal trend and water-quality database
management software that is user friendly.

Tribes voiced the need for geographical information system (GIS)
training.

Tribes voiced the need for educational materials on the appropriate
use of statistics in aquatic water-quality monitoring assessments.

Tribes voiced the need for a user-friendly statistical analysis
program.

A copy of the WQTI report is available at:
http://www.stat.colostate.edu/starmap/wqti.final.report.pdf

A first draft of the learning environment has been developed in collaboration
with CSU's Office of Instructional Services. This environment implements
several forms of individualization, but it is incomplete at this time.
However, this first test version has been designed to eventually support
individualization for diversity in perspective - from the monitoring administrator,
to field personnel and data analysts, geographic context of the learner
- (many ecoregions), a dictionary detail, and even, if needed, different
languages. If research with the intended user community reveals other
needed features, flexibility for their incorporation will be included
in the environment, and perhaps implemented in the test materials. The
presentation environment identifies and presents information for learners
based on choices they make. The environment also will assemble pdf files
suitable for printing.

Two of six eventual learning units have been drafted by Gerald Scarzella,
a graduate student in statistics at CSU and a Native Alaskan. A preliminary
evaluation of both the learning environment and early materials was conducted
and several state environmental agencies, a sub-state regional agency
and two EPA regional offices attended. Several people from Tribal agencies
were invited, but weren't able to attend. All of the evaluators were extremely
supportive of the interactive environment and the draft content. They
wrote pages of suggestions which are being studied for future changes
in the learning environment. They volunteered potentially valuable material
from their experience and identified an important new audience - river
councils. The original plan for these new learning materials included
a few case studies but the recent evaluation makes it clear that there
should be perhaps 30case studies to illustrate a range of design and analysis
topics.

As these new learning materials evolve, future evaluations will be conducted.
Tribal input is critical if the materials are to be useful to Tribal water
quality personnel and managers. We will seek Tribal volunteers to participate
in future evaluations. Contact the STARMAP Director, Dr. N. Scott Urquhart
at nsu@stat.colostate.edu if you have suggestions for content or delivery
methods. For more general comments, contact starmap@stat.colostate.edu.

The research described in this article has been funded in part by cooperative
agreements between the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Department
of Statistics at Colorado State University (CR-829095) and the Department
of Statistics at Oregon State University (CR- 829096), under the auspice
of ORD's STAR Program. Further information about this research is available
on the web at http://oregonstate.edu/dept/statistics/epa_program/index.html.

David Lawes, Makah Tribe; Vince Cook, Shoalwater Bay Tribe; and Jim Harvey,
Office of Research and Development

The Makah and Shoalwater Bay Tribes from the Pacific Northwest oversee
and manage their natural resources like forestry and fisheries. Three
Tribal environmental professionals from the Makah fisheries group and
one from the Shoalwater Bay Tribe participated in EPA's National Coastal
Assessment (NCA) training. After three intensive days of lecture and "hands-on"
field training at EPA's Gulf Ecology Division, each participant received
a certificate of completion of training and returned to their respective
Tribe with the knowledge and ability to collect samples. The NCA Program
employs a probabilistic design and a common, core set of survey indicators,
refined after years of use and validation in EPA's Environmental Monitoring
and Assessment Program (EMAP). These Tribal environmental professionals
will also share their knowledge and experience with neighboring Tribes.
Our three-year goal is to provide training for a geographically-distributed,
critical mass of tribal environmental professionals who will, in turn,
train all coastal Tribes.

David Lawes, Water Quality/Resource Specialist, from the Makah Tribe
said "We've wanted to develop a probability-based monitoring program
and this is a big step in that direction. We're happy to have been able
to participate." Contact: David Lawes or Vince Cooke at 360-645-3151
dlawes@centurytel.net and mtcedm@centurytel.net, respectively.

National EPA Tribal Science Council

Office of Research and Development
EPA Tribal Science Council
Chris Gannon, Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs Oregon
Dennis O'Connor, Office of Air and Radiation

First convened in December 2001, the National EPA-Tribal Science Council,
commonly referred to as the Tribal Science Council or TSC, provides a
forum for Tribal and EPA representatives to identify priority Tribal environmental
science issues and collaboratively design effective solutions. Funded
through EPA's Office of Research and Development, the TSC developed out
of concerns over the appropriateness of EPA's science activities in a
Tribal context, specifically, the appropriateness of science information
gathered from Tribes, the validity of data collected about and through
traditional methods, and the ability of EPA programs to incorporate the
unique aspects of Tribal cultures into models and assessment tools.

Comprised of Tribal and EPA Regional and Headquarters representatives,
the 28-member TSC includes a single Tribal representative from each of
the nine EPA Regions with federally recognized Tribes as well as an additional
Region 10 Tribal representative representing Alaska Native communities.
The TSC also includes an EPA representative from each Program Office and
one from each of the nine EPA Regions with federally recognized Tribes.
Agency representatives are designated by Assistant Administrators from
the respective EPA Program Offices and Regions. Tribal representatives
are nominated by their Regional Tribal Operations Committees through the
National Tribal Operations Committee.

The TSC represents a new paradigm for how EPA works with Tribal governments.
The agenda of the TSC is driven by Tribal priority science issues. However,
unlike other EPA Tribal groups that are advisory in nature, the TSC employs
a collaborative approach, where Tribal and EPA representatives work together
to determine the most appropriate mechanisms to address the science issues
identified.

Currently, the TSC is focusing its efforts on Tribally relevant risk
assessment and development of a health and well-being paradigm. EPA's
current risk assessment methodology could be improved to take into account
Tribal culture, values, and lifeways. The TSC is working to both examine
ways to include specific Tribal cultural and lifeways concerns and practices
into existing risk assessment model mechanics as well as to develop a
paradigm that shifts the focus of risk assessment to community health
and well-being. In support of this effort, the TSC has sponsored two workshops
on risk assessment and Tribal health and well-being. The first, held in
Albuquerque, New Mexico in February 2003, brought EPA staff and Tribal
representatives together to gain a better understanding of the issue and
better insights into the ways in which EPA and Tribes view the current
risk assessment process. The second workshop was hosted by the Pyramid
Lake Paiute Tribe in Reno Nevada in May 2003 and provided an opportunity
for Tribal representatives to share stories about health and well-being
topics and the use of traditional knowledge and science. A third TSC workshop
to continue discussion of Tribally relevant risk assessment is planned
for early in 2004.

In addition to these current activities, the TSC has focused its efforts
on a number of additional priority science initiatives, which have included:

Promoting technical assistance for Quality Assurance Project Plan
(QAPP) development and implementation for Tribes through review of EPA's
QAPP development training course; co-sponsorship, with EPA, of a course
on QAPP development at the 2002 National Tribal Conference on Environmental
Management; and coordination with EPA Region 9 to review and lend support
to a QAPP development training CD for Tribes,

Sponsoring the workshop on the current state-of-the-science of endocrine
disruptor research in Washington, DC in September 2002 to provide Tribes
information about EPA science and policy development regarding endocrine
disruptor research and to provide a forum for Tribal representatives
to discuss their concerns about endocrine disruptors resulting from
a subsistence lifestyle,

Sponsoring presentations, posters and booths on a range of science
topics at the National Tribal Conference on Environmental Management
in 2002 and the EPA Science Forum in 2002 and 2003,

Compiling a list of Regional projects across the country brief descriptions
of projects where Tribes and EPA are working to enhance or restore Tribal
traditional lifeways,

The TSC will continue support of these science efforts. In addition,
the TSC has identified a number of additional Tribal science issues that
it will address in the coming years. The issues present a range of priority
environmental science concerns and include:

Supporting the release and implementation of EPA's dioxin reassessment
and reference dose;

Identifying ongoing work at EPA on chemical mixtures and cumulative
impacts and promoting increased research in this area;

The TSC is continually seeking input on priority science issues that
Tribes may be facing and related activities that are going on across EPA
or in other federal agencies. If you are interested in keeping up with
TSC activities or have issues that you wish to raise, please contact the
TSC Co-chairs: TSC Tribal Co-Chair, Chris Gannon at (541) 553-2020 or
cgannon@wsTribes.org and the TSC Agency Co-Chair, Dennis O'Connor at (202)
564-9486 or Oconnor.Dennis@epa.gov. Additional information on the TSC
can be found on EPA's Tribal Science website at http://www.epa.gov/osp/Tribes.htm.

EPA Continues Work on Tribal Drinking Water Operator Certification Program
Draft Guidelines

Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water

The Environmental Protection Agency continues to work on the Tribal Drinking
Water Operator Certification Program Draft Guidelines. These guidelines,
once finalized, will establish a program for drinking water system operators
in Indian Country that is flexible, while providing meaningful public
health protection in Indian Country. This voluntary program is intended
to provide water system operators in Indian country with further training
and certification opportunities in addition to the existing training or
certification programs offered by states, various federal agencies, and
private organizations. The guidelines will establish baseline standards
that must be met for non-state organizations certifying operators of water
systems in Indian Country to gain approval for their program from EPA.
The guidelines also will include a consistent method of assessing, tracking,
and addressing certification and training needs in Indian Country.

On March 30, 2000, EPA's Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water (OGWDW)
published a first draft of these guidelines in the Federal Register and
collected comments from stakeholders. The next step in this process is
to publish a final draft of the guidelines within the Federal Register
in February 2004 and solicit final comments from stakeholders. OGWDW then
plans to publish the Final Guidelines in the Summer of 2004.

Although certification is voluntary, if a system is to receive grant
funds under the Drinking Water Infrastructure Grant Tribal Set-Aside (DWIG
TSA) program, operator certification is required in order to meet the
"technical capacity" requirements for receiving funds. The DWIG
TSA policy is available at www.epa.gov/safewater/tribes.html. Also, EPA
identified a goal for operator certification in the 1998-2003 OGWDW Tribal
Strategy "Protecting Public Health and Water Resources in Indian
Country: A Strategy for EPA/Tribal Partnership." The goal states
that by 2005, 80 percent of Tribal community and non-transient, non-community
water systems will have a certified operator. Establishing a final Tribal
Drinking Water Operator Certification Program will help achieve this goal
while bringing greater public health protection to Tribal communities.

Readers may contact the Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 800-426-4791 or
Jill Nogi, EPA Office of Water, at 202-564-1721 or nogi.jill@epa.gov for
more information regarding the Tribal Drinking Water Operator Certification
Program Draft Guidelines and associated updates. Readers also may visit
the EPA Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water web site at www.epa.gov/safewater/Tribal.html
for updates.

Finally, to help jump start the Tribal operator certification program,
EPA is providing one-time grant funding for one or more nonprofit organizations,
educational institutions, or public agencies. The grant funding will assist
in developing a new (or amend an existing) certification program that
meets the baseline standards of EPA's Tribal Drinking Water Operator Certification
Program Final Guidelines, once published. EPA wants to ensure that all
operators of water systems in Indian Country have access to training and
certification programs that meet the particular needs of Indian communities.
The Request for Applications from nonprofit and Tribal organizations,
educational institutions, or public agencies interested in certifying
operators of Tribal community and non-transient, non-community drinking
water systems also may be obtained from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline
or from the EPA Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water web site once
the guidelines are final and published in the Fedral Register this Summer.

Tribal Water Quality Standards

Indian Tribes are developing water quality standards to protect reservation
lands. Tribes like the Miccosukee in Florida, the Puyallup in Washington,
and the Pueblo of Isleta in New Mexico have water quality standards that
are consistent with the Clean Water Act.

Water quality standards are utilized to protect and improve water quality.
Tribes may use them to define the use of a waterbody and address the amount
of pollutants from sources like industrial facilities, wastewater treatment
plants, and storm sewers that may be discharged into those waters. Water
quality standards are defined by three criteria:

The designated use or the description of the goal for the waterbody
(such as fishing, swimming, cultural or traditional uses)

Water quality criteria (limits on pollutants and conditions that
will protect the designated use) Antidegradation policy governing changes
in water quality.

Today, 23 Indian Tribes have water quality standards approved by EPA
that protect water quality on reservation lands. A total of 22 Tribes
developed their own water quality standards, and EPA promulgated water
quality standards for the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation
in Washington. An Indian Tribe can obtain authorization to administer
their water quality standards program by meeting certain criteria. You
may contact EPA's Standards and Health Protection Division at 202-566-0400
to obtain specific information about authorization to administer a water
quality standards program on reservation lands and the appropriate criteria.

In June 2003, EPA released a video, "Our Water, Our Future: Saving
Our Tribal Life Force Together," that tells about the successful
efforts of two Indian Tribes - the Pueblo of Acoma, New Mexico, and the
Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis Reservation, Washington. These two
Indian Tribes developed water quality standards for their reservations.
They saw the quality of their water deteriorating and took positive steps
to protect present and future generations by adopting their own water
quality standards. EPA approved the Pueblo of Acoma's water quality standards
in 2001, and the water quality standards for the Confederated Tribes of
the Chehalis Reservation were approved in 1997. Readers may obtain the
video by contacting Eleanor Jackson at 202-566-0052 or jackson.eleanor@epa.gov.

It is EPA's intent that Tribes have their own water quality standards.
In support of this goal, EPA's Regional Water Quality Standards Coordinators
work with Tribes to review and approve their water quality standards.
You can learn more about Tribal-adopted and EPA-approved water quality
standards by visiting the Agency's web site at www.epa.gov/waterscience/standards/wyslibrary/tribes.html.

You also may contact EPA's Standards and Health Protection Division at
202-566-0400 to obtain information about program authorization for the
water quality standards program and to obtain the name and phone number
of the appropriate Regional Water Quality Standards Coordinator in your
area.

EPA's Office of Water also is considering a potential rulemaking that
establishes federal standards for certain waters in Indian country where
Tribal standards are not in-place. EPA's Office of Water has conducted
outreach and discussion sessions with Tribes and others on a possible
Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM). The ANPRM would discuss
possible approaches for promulgating the Federal water quality standards,
and EPA's Office of Water would initiate an open public comment period
on the approaches. Should you require additional information, contact
Ed Hanlon, EPA Standards and Health Protection Division, 202-566-0765,
hanlon.edward@epa.gov

Tribal Nonpoint Source Program Grants and Training

Office of Water
Ed Drabkowski

Clean Water Act (CWA) section 319 Nonpoint Source (NPS) Program grants
are available to federally recognized Tribes with approved NPS assessment
reports and management plans, and status under section 518 of the CWA
for establishing treatment in a similar manner as a state. To acquaint
Tribes with the NPS program and its purpose as a tool to improve water
quality in watersheds, the NPS Control Branch in the EPA provides training
on developing Tribal NPS management programs. More than 1,000 Tribal representatives
have participated in these training workshops to understand program requirements,
how to apply for grants, and the best management practices available to
reduce pollution along riparian areas and erosion from grazing and farming
practices. Grant funding to Tribes with approved programs is approximately
$6 million annually. To date, 75 individual Tribes are in the program,
accounting for over 75% of land area in Indian country.

EPA Region 9 has the most participating Tribes in the section 319 NPS
program. In FY 2003, Tribes in EPA Region 9 (which includes the states
of AZ, CA, HI, NV) received $4 million for implementing on the ground
improvement projects in priority watersheds. The Region produced a brochure
to describe the successful projects being implemented by Tribes such as
the removal of invasive species to improve infiltration, decommissioning
abandoned forest roads to reduce erosion, constructing fences to control
migrating animals from destroying vegetation, and building water troughs
for watering cattle to prevent cattle from polluting area streams. EPA
Regions 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 9, and 10 also have Tribes participating in the
NPS program.

For more information on section 319 NPS funding and training courses
for Tribes, please contact Ed Drabkowski at 202-566-1198 or drabkowski.ed@epa.gov.

Rulemaking on Implementation of 8-Hour National Ambient Air Quality
Standards for Ground-Level Ozone

Adapted from EPA Office of Water Press Advisory, May 14, 2003

On June 2, 2003, EPA took an important step in protecting the American
public from ground-level ozone pollution by proposing a rule that outlines
steps certain polluted areas would have to take to clean up their air.
The proposed rule would establish guidelines for State and Tribal authorities
to implement the 8- hour national air quality standard for ozone, first
enacted by EPA in 1997 and upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2001. The
proposal sought public comment on options for planning and control requirements
for States and Tribes, as well as on options for making the transition
from the 1-hour ozone standard to the 8-hour standard. The new 8-hour
standard is more protective of public health than the current 1-hour standard
because it more accurately reflects people's exposure to ground-level
ozone.

The proposed rule describes options for classifying nonattainment areas;
however, the proposal does not make any attainment designations. A nonattainment
area violates the ozone standard and/or contains areas that contribute
to violations of the standard in a nearby area. Designations for nonattainment
areas will occur by April 15, 2004 under a separate process. EPA took
comments on this proposed rule; the comment period ended August 1, 2003.
The Agency also held three public hearings across the country on the proposed
rule: Dallas, Texas on June 17, 2003; San Francisco, California on June
19, 2003; and Alexandria, Virginia on June 27, 2003. In addition, a Federal
Register notice was published on August 6, 2003. Under a 30-day comment
period EPA made available draft text that illustrates how one set of options,
which were proposed on June 2, 2003, would be structured in regulatory
language. Also, based on comments received on October 21, 2003, EPA reopened
the comment period for 15 days on several alternative approaches to classifying
nonattainment areas.

Due to the complexity of the rule, EPA plans to issue the final rulemaking
in two phases. The first phase is expected to address the classification
approach, the transition from the 1-hour to the 8-hour standard, and anti-backsliding
provisions. This first phase is expected in late February 2004. The second
phase rule would contain the remainder of the requirements and is expected
around April 2004.

More information is available at www.epa.gov/ttn/naaqs/ozone/o3imp8hr.

An Update with Our Regions

Region 1

The Region 1 Tribal Program is a multi-media program headed by Jim Sappier,
a former Penobscot Tribal Governor. In the Region 1 New England area,
there are 9 federally recognized Tribes, and the Eastern Pequot Tribal
Nation currently awaits federal recognition. The Region 1 Tribal Program
maintains a web site, www.epa.gov/region01/govt/Tribes. Here users can
obtain profiles or the New England Tribes, information on Tribal environmental
programs and accomplishments, a map of the locations of New England's
Tribes, an overview of EPA's Indian Program structure, a link to EPA's
Indian Policy, contacts within the region, and the Region 1 Tribal Newsletter.

The Region 1 Tribal newsletter, Region 1 Indian Program Newsletter, is
published twice per year and highlights recent regional, national, and
international news; announcements; meetings; and workshops. The Region
1 Tribal Program supports its Tribes in several multimedia initiatives,
and funding for the Regional Program has grown from $55,000 to $3 million.

Region 2

Within EPA Region 2, there are several Indian lands, including the following
federally recognized Indian nations: Cayuga Nation, Oneida Indian Nation,
Onondaga Nation, St. Regis Mohawk Tribe, Seneca Nation of Indians, Tonawanda
Band of Senecas, and Tuscarora Nation. These seven federally recognized
Tribes are located in the external boundaries of New York State and are
members of the Iroquois Confederacy.

The Region 2 Indian Program provides outreach to these federally recognized
Indian nations and continues building an Indian nation environmental program
that supports grant program and technical assistance to Indian nations.
Grants under the General Assistance Program, as well as program specific
grants, have supported development of environmental capabilities of the
Indian nations. Also, Region 2 has a Regional Indian Program Coordinator,
an Indigenous Environmental Affairs Specialist, and program staff and
managers who carry out activities and outreach. Region 2's training program
entitled "Training on Working Effectively with Indian Nations and
Indigenous Peoples" provides Region 2 employees with the necessary
knowledge and skills to assist them in working with Indian nations and
indigenous people, while implementing the Agency's Indian Policy. The
Region 2 Indian Program maintains a web site, www.epa.gov/Region2/nations/intro.htm.

Region 4

Region 4's Indian Program works to protect human health and the environment
in Indian Country by promoting the comprehensive implementation of EPA's
regulatory and voluntary programs in partnership with the federally recognized
Tribes. Specifically, Region 4's Indian Program assists the Indian Tribes
in the region to build environmental programs and compliance capabilities
and capacity. Region 4's Indian Program provides Tribal governments with
information, training, and grant funding and addresses Indian issues and
the impact of Region 4 activities on Native Americans. Region 4's recent
Tribal Environmental Accomplishments Report depicts many accomplishments
of the Tribal governments in the region as a result of Region 4 support,
including water and sewer system improvements, newly opened recycling
centers, increased environmental monitoring of all media types, and more
vigorous enforcement of media programs. The Region 4 Indian Program maintains
a web site, www.epa.gov/region4/ead/indian/index.htm.

Region 5

The Region 5 Indian Environmental Office (IEO) serves the needs of 35
federally recognized Indian Tribes through grants assistance and management,
training and technical assistance, and coordination services with other
programs. The mission for Region 5 is to provide leadership for protecting
public health and the environment in Indian country, while respecting
the sovereignty of each Tribe and recognizing Federal trust responsibility.
The region's IEO was established in March 2000 to provide a "one-stop
shop" for Tribal-related issues and was formed in response to expanding
tribal environmental needs and to fulfill the overall commitments to Indian
Tribes found in the EPA Indian Policy. The office serves as a centralized
point of contact for Tribal governments, inter-Tribal organizations, other
federal agencies, and EPA staff on Tribal policies and activities. The
office also serves as the first point of contact for Indian Tribes in
Region 5 seeking federal environmental programs, as well as financial
and technical assistance which relates to the development and delegation
of Tribal environmental programs. The Region 5 IEO maintains a web site,
www.epa.gov/Region5/Tribes/index.htm.

Region 6

EPA Region 6's Regional Native American Office is located in the region's
Office of External Affairs and was created by the EPA Regional Administrator
in late 1996. The goal of the Regional Native American Office is to support
Tribal self-government, uphold federal trust responsibilities, and firmly
establishing a government-to-government relationship between the Tribes
and the EPA regional office. Region 6's Regional Native American Office
is committed to an intra-agency and inter-agency Tribal advocacy approach
to environmental issues facing Tribal lands within Region 6. In order
to create and sustain this goal, Region 6 utilizes communication, coordination,
advocacy, strategic planning and budgeting, policy, liaisons, training,
and grants communications. Region 6 aims to provide general, technical,
financial, and administrative support to the Tribes, while coordinating
with the Region's other media offices to ensure technical assistance and
training is provided to Tribal governments and its employees.

Region 7 maintains a Tribal Air Program, as well as a solid waste program
that assists Tribes. The air program in EPA Region 7 works with nine Tribes
in their efforts to protect their air quality. All the Tribes in the region
are fairly small and range from about 30 to 5,200 resident Tribal members.
The Region 7 air program assists Tribes in their efforts to address air
quality concerns relating to particulates, diesel trucks and train engines,
road dust emissions from upwind power plants and releases from chemical
plants. The major sources of these air pollution concerns in Indian country
include utilities, small manufacturing companies, and sand and gravel
operations, as well as service stations and automobile emissions.

The Region 7 air program follows its Tribal Authority Rule, which was
authorized in 1990, to grant authority to Tribes to conduct Clean Air
Act (CAA) Programs on their land and set forth provisions for which Tribes
can become eligible to implement federally enforceable CAA programs. Region
7 maintains a web site, www.epa.gov/Region7/government_Tribal/index.htm,
with links to its Tribal Air Program, as well as information on solid
waste programs for Tribes.

Region 8

EPA Region 8 includes 27 federally recognized Tribal governments, and
the mission of the EPA Region 8 Tribal Assistance Program is to provide
leadership in protecting public health and the environment within these
areas of Indian Country; respecting the sovereignty of each Tribe, as
well as recognize federal trust responsibilities. The EPA Region 8 Policy
for Environmental Protection in Indian Country was signed by the Regional
Administrator on March 14, 1996. This policy supports work with Tribal
governments on a government-to-government basis, Tribal self-governance,
protection of human health and environment in Indian country; Tribal government
agreement before decision making, assistance to Tribal governments in
building Tribal capacity, cooperation between Tribal and State governments,
cooperative partnerships with other federal agencies, and public participation.

Through collaborative efforts across all program offices, EPA Region
9 supports the 1984 Indian Policy, with the goal of protecting and enhancing
ecosystems, human health, and cultural resources in Indian Country. Region
9 ensures that its trust responsibility to federally recognized Tribes
is carried out and encourages a government-to-government relationship.
Region 9 envisions a partnership and an environmental presence with every
federally recognized Tribe. EPA Region 9 is committed to helping build
Tribal capacity to manage Indian Country environmental programs and to
ensure that Tribes have a voice in decisions that affect their land, air,
and water resources.

The Region 9 Indian Programs Office publishes a monthly newsletter that
is circulated among the Tribes within EPA Region 9. The newsletter contains
the latest information concerning Tribal meetings, conferences, environmental
training programs, grant and loan information, deadline dates, and contacts
for further questions. The Region 9 Indians Program Office maintains a
web site, www.epa.gov/Region9/cross_pr/indian/index.html.

Region 10

EPA Region 10 is committed to protecting human health and the environment
throughout the Region, including the lands and resources of Indian Tribes,
while supporting Tribal self-government, fulfilling the federal trust
responsibility, and strengthening the government-to-government relationship
between the Tribes of Region 10 and EPA. The mission of the Region 10
Tribal Program is to protect and restore the lands and environmental resources
of Indian Tribes in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska for present and future
generations. The goals of the Region 10 Tribal Program are to fully meet
our responsibility for government-to-government relations with Tribes
in all aspects of the Region's work; accomplish all direct implementation
responsibilities; provide full program delegation and capacity building
opportunities for Tribes; increase permanent resource commitments for
Tribal workload and strategy implementation; and ensure Region 10 resources
are used as efficiently as possible.

The Region 10 Tribal Program maintains a web site, http://yosemite.epa.gov/r10/Tribal.NSF.

A Look at the EPA Region 1 Tribal Program

EPA Region 1's Tribal Program is a multi-media program headed by Jim
Sappier, a former Penobscot Tribal Governor. Valerie Bataille-Ferry a
former Tribal employee, with close connections to New England's federally
recognized Tribes is the Senior Regional Indian Program Specialist. Jean
Crocker is the Regional Indian Program Specialist with over 20 years of
grants experience. The Program also receives SEE support as well as part
time legal, grants and clerical support. Nine Region 1 staff serve as
Tribal Coordinators.

The following federally recognized Tribes within Region 1 are:

Narragansett Indian Tribe

Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians

Passamaquoddy Tribe Indian Township

Passamaquoddy Tribe Pleasant Point

Penobscot Indian Nation

Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah)

Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation

Aroostook Band of Micmacs

Mohegan Tribe

Eastern Pequot Tribal Nation*

*Federal recognition pending Indian Program Structure

Structure of National and Regional Indian Programs

The Region 1 Indian Program is physically located within the Office of
Ecosystems Protection (OEP), with the Office of State and Tribal Grants
having administrative and management responsibilities within the EPA internal
structure. The Indian Program has a direct line to the Regional Administrator
and the American Indian Environmental Office. The decision to be placed
within this system came from the Leadership Team as advised by the Regional
Tribal Operations Committee.

The Indian Program is called on from time to time to represent the programs
view at the Office Director's meetings, on an on-call basis regarding
subject-matters affecting Tribes.

Besides the staff of the Regional Indian Program, there are nine EPA
Tribal Coordinators, the Regional Indian Work Group and the technicians
and media program representatives who support the priorities of the Tribal
program in accordance with the EPA Indian Policy.

Regional Programs and Operations:

Structure: Federally-recognized Tribes reside in nine of the Agency's
ten regions (Region 3 is the exception). Each of these nine regions has
appointed a Regional Indian Coordinator, and some of the regions have
established an Indian program office. Most of the regions have a Regional
Indian Work Group that acts as a regional counterpart to the National
Indian Work Group. Some regions have field staff to work directly with
the Tribes in their development and implementation of environmental programs.
These field staff are sometimes referred to as Indian Environmental Liaisons
or Circuit Riders, depending on the region. Most of the regions have also
established a regional counterpart to the Tribal Operations Committee.
Some regions have a formal Regional Tribal Operations Committee (RTOC)
comprised of Tribes residing within that region, while others have instituted
regular meetings between Tribal leaders and the region's senior management.
Some regions have both an RTOC and regular all-Tribes meetings.

Purpose: Regional programs and related operations are responsible
for day-to-day interaction with Tribes and "on-the-ground" implementation
of EPA's Tribal programs based on regional priorities. They are responsible
for meeting with and providing support to Tribes within their regions,
getting Tribal input on issues that impact them, and communicating these
needs and concerns to EPa headquarters staff.

National Indian Program Structure:

The structure of EPA's Indian Program involves a variety of individuals
and organizations throughout EPa headquarters and Regions. Each of these
individuals and organizations is dedicated to protecting human health
and Tribal environments, in a manner consistent with EPA's trust responsibility
to federally recognized Tribes, the government-to-government relationship,
and the preservation of cultural uses of natural resources. The paragraphs
below describe the various organizations and functions for which they
are responsible.

American Indian Environmental Office (AIEO)

The American Indian Environmental Office, working with its regional components,
is responsible for leading and coordinating the Agency-wide effort to
strengthen public health and environmental protection in Indian country.
AIEO oversees development and implementation of the Agency's Indian policy
and the Indian Program Strategic Plan. The office strives to ensure that
all EPa headquarters and regional offices implement their parts of the
Agency's Indian Program in a manner consistent with EPA's trust responsibility
regarding protection of Tribal health and environment, administration
policy to work with Tribes on a government-to-government basis, and support
of Tribal self-governance. The Office advises the Administrator and headquarters
offices as well as assisting and maintaining the TOC.

Tribal Operations Committee (TOC)

Structure: The Agency established the Tribal Operations Committee
(TOC) in February 1994. The TOC comprises 19 Tribal leaders or their environmental
program managers (the Tribal caucus) and EPA's Senior Leadership Team,
including the Administrator, the Deputy Administrator, and the Assistant
and Regional Administrators. The TOC meets on a regular basis to discuss
implementation of environmental protection programs in Indian Country.
The TOC and EPA work closely to develop EPA's budget and resource allocations
to meet the needs of environmental protection throughout Indian Country.

Purpose: The overall purpose of the TOC is to improve communications
and build stronger partnerships with all Tribes. The TOC provides the
Agency with valuable input on EPA Indian Policies and various aspects
of the Indian Program. Although the TOC is an important and effective
vehicle for enhancing communications between EPA and the Tribes, it is
not a substitute for Agency consultation with individual Tribes in accordance
with the Administration policy of working with Indian Tribes on a government-to-government
basis.

National Indian Work Group (NIWG)

Structure: The NIWG is chaired by the Director of the American
Indian Environmental Office and is composed of representatives from regional
and program offices, generally the Indian Coordinator. NIWG holds regular
biweekly conference calls and usually meets at least once each year.

Purpose: The role of the National Indian Work Group (NIWG) was
initially defined in the 1984 Indian Policy Implementation Guidance. NIWG
was established to facilitate and coordinate efforts to identify and resolve
policy and programmatic barriers to working directly with Indian Tribes;
implement comprehensive Tribal environmental programs; identify priority
Tribal projects; perform other services in support of the Agency managers
in implementing the Indian policy; and report progress related to these
activities.

National Indian Law Work Group (NILWG)

Structure: The National Indian Law Work Group is composed of lawyers
from EPA's regional counsel and program offices, the Office of General
Counsel, the Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance, and from
the Department of Justice who work on federal Indian law issues. The group
also includes policy staff from AIEO and other EPA offices. NILWG meets
once a month via teleconference to discuss pressing or nationally-significant
Indian law issues related to environmental protection and to exchange
information on common issues and problems. Also, NILWG usually meets face-to-face
once each year.

Purpose: The NILWG is the counterpart to the National Indian Work
Group. It addresses legal issues that arise in the course of developing
and implementing the Agency's Indian Program. It plays an active role
in eliminating the legal and regulatory barriers to implementing environmental
programs in Indian country.

American Indian Advisory Council (AIAC)

Structure: The American Indian Advisory Council (AIAC) is a Special
Emphasis Program Council organized under the Office of Civil Rights. Membership
is open to all employees of EPA. National conference calls take place
on a monthly basis.

Purpose: The central purpose of AIAC is to serve as an advisory
group to the Administrator of EPA to recommend actions that address concerns
of American Indians in the EPA workforce and of the Indian Tribes.

Structure: The National Environmental Justice Advisory Council
(NEJAC) was charted as a Federal Advisory Committee in 1993. The Council
has 25 representatives from key environmental justice constituencies,
including community-based groups, business and industry, academic and
educational institutions, Tribal governments, State and local governments,
and non-governmental organizations. The Council has six subcommittees,
one of which is the Indigenous Peoples Subcommittee. This Subcommittee
has eight members with a diversity of backgrounds, such as Tribal government,
indigenous grassroots groups and environmental organizations, Tribal business
and industry, academia, and State government.

Purpose: This Subcommittee is primarily focused on reviewing Agency
actions to address environmental justice and developing recommendations
for bringing about environmental justice in Indian country.

TRIBAL SCIENCE COUNCIL (TSC)

The mission of the Tribal Science Council is to provide a forum for interaction
with Tribes and Agency representatives of mutual benefit and responsibility
to work collaboratively on environmental scientific issues, addressing
a wide range of scientific issues including research, monitoring, modeling,
information, technology, and training in Indian Country. To support the
subsistence, cultural, and ceremonial lifestyles of Indians and the safe
use and availability of a healthy environment for present and future generations,
the TSC is committed to development of sound holistic, integrated and
cross-media scientific approaches. The relationship between the Tribes
and EPA in the TSC will not substitute for but rather augment the government-to-government
relationship. TSC is composed of representatives from ORD, AIEO, OAR,
OSWER, OPPTS, OW, OPEI and Regional Scientists, and TOC members.

LEAD REGION-INDIAN PROGRAM

The purpose of the Lead Region System is to ensure that the Agency makes
quality decisions by providing the Regions with a formal opportunity to
participate in the decision-making process.

Goals as Lead Region:

to impact Headquarters, Offices, Decision-making Processes,

to build regional consensus views and represent majority and minority
positions on significant policy, program or administrative activities,

to balance national consistency and regional flexibility, and,

to enhance effective communications between the Regional and HQ
offices and within the Regional Offices (ROs) and HQs for all activities.

Each RO and HQs Program Office has a role in improving the quality of
EPA's decisions. It requires each participant to look beyond their individual
responsibilities and to take actions that result in environmental benefits.
HQs and the ROs work cooperatively towards this common goal. These roles
and responsibilities facilitate the process for the Indian Program. Back-up
Region and Sub-Lead Region(s) to Lead Region for the Indian Program share
responsibilities.

In order to address the large number of individual media programs the
Regional Indian Program Managers/Regional Indian Coordinators (RICs),
National Program Manager's (NPM) representatives and AIEO staff members
have been integrated within the National Indian Work Group (NIWG) network.
The NIWG network is instrumental in identifying issues, presenting options
and recommendations and developing consensus positions to present to HQs.
NIWG members participate in regular conference calls and national meetings.
Lead Region utilizes this routine communication flow to develop or resolve
a Lead Region issue. The RIC and HQ members are responsible for Regional
and headquarters contacts with the respective Office.

Communication is key to effectiveness. A number of methods have been
established to facilitate an on-going dialogue between the Regions and
HQs and within the ROs and HQ's Offices through meetings, conferences
and conference telephone calls, usually on a bi-monthly basis.

The 7th Annual EPA Region 6 Tribal Environmental Summit

The 7th Annual EPA Region 6 Tribal Environmental Summit was held in Albuquerque,
New Mexico, October 15-16, 2003. The summit took place at the Albuquerque
Marriott Hotel. The event was sponsored and coordinated by the EPA Region
6 Inter-Tribal Environmental Council. A detailed conference summary will
follow in our next Spring 2004 issue.

For more information, please contact Nancy John or Sheila Sevenstar at
918-458-5496.

A Decade of Tribal/EPA Partnerships
Tribes and EPA Celebrate 10 Years of GAP in November 2003

American Indian Environmental Office
Rodges Ankrah

EPA's General Assistance Program (GAP) was developed under the Indian
Environmental General Assistance Program Act of 1992 in hopes to help
Tribes establish environmental programs unique to specific environmental
and cultural needs within Indian country. Over the past decade, Tribes
throughout the U.S. have partnered with EPA through GAP to protect the
environment in Indian country and have accomplished the following:

Tribes have received help in building the capacity and programs
needed to meet their individual needs

Nearly 500 Tribes are developing environmental programs

Tribes have closed open dumps and implemented waste management and
reduction programs in many reservation lands.

There are over 565 federally recognized Tribes in the U.S., and each
Tribe confronts unique environmental and human health issues. Compared
with other cultures and groups in the U.S., Tribes face serious economic,
environmental, and public health challenges. In order to combat some of
these issues, EPA's GAP has provided millions of dollars each year to
Tribes, and in 2003, allotted nearly $60 million through approximately
500 GAP grants. GAP funds have been used to identify baseline environmental
problems and needs; develop appropriate environmental programs, ordinances,
and public education and outreach efforts; ensure that Tribal governments
are informed and able to participate in environmental decision-making;
and promote communication and coordination between federal, state, local,
and Tribal environmental officials. For more information regarding EPA's
GAP program, contact the EPA American Indian Environmental Office at 202-564-0303
or www.epa.gov/indian.

The DUNS Is Upon Us

Office of Administration and Resource Management
Glen Langlois

WHEN: October 1, 2003 is a critical date that all Tribes along with States,
Non-profit organizations, institutions of higher education and hospitals
must prepare for. Individuals who personally receive assistance agreements
from the Federal government are exempt from this requirement.

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) requires all assistance agreement
applications, new award and renewals including applications or plans under
mandatory grant programs, submitted to any Federal agency or Department,
as of October 1, 2003, include a Dun and Bradstreet Data Universal Numbering
System (DUNS) number. The DUNS number requirement is in addition to other
identification numbers required by statute or regulations, such as tax
identification numbers. In other words ALL applications coming in from
Tribes, Tribal consortia, and Tribal organizations MUST have a DUNS.

WHY: A DUNS number will be required whether the application is submitted
in paper form or the government-wide electronic portal (Grants.gov). The
reason for this is that the OMB has determined that there is a need for
improved statistical reporting of all Federal assistance agreements (grants
and cooperative agreements). Using the DUNS government-wide is to provide
a better means of identifying and tracking entities receiving assistance
award and their business relationships as well as validating addresses
and points of contract information.

HOW: Organizations can receive a DUNS number in ONE DAY and at NO COST
to the organization by calling the dedicated toll-free DUNS Number request
line at 1-866-705-5711. There also is a website where an organization
can obtain their DUNS number: http://dnb.com

CAUTION! CAUTION! CAUTION! if you use the website and want the same ONE
DAY turnaround time that is available through the toll-free line you will
be charged a $40 fee, otherwise your number will be issued within 30 BUSINESS
DAYS.

WHERE: Currently there is no special place for the DUNS number on the
application document (SF-424). As a temporary measure until the new forms
can be completed, the DUNS number may be entered on the current application
document (SF-424) address block. The new revised version of the SF-424
will include a DUNS number filed. This new revised SF-424 should be available
some time between October and December, 2003. You will be able to download
the file once it is available at the following website: http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants/sf424.pdf

More information on the announcement of the DUNS requirement can be found
in the Federal Register/ Vol. 68, No. 124 pages 38402 to 38405, Friday,
June 27, 2003 located at the following website: http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants/grants_docs.html

The Native Peoples Fisheries Section (NPFS) symposium was held in Quebec,
Canada on August 11, 2003. The goal of the symposium was to compare and
contrast traditional and historical indigenous fish management with contemporary
and scientific methods worldwide to showcase both variety and diversity
of geography and methodology. U.S. and Canadian biologists and managers
from native, Tribal, or indigenous fisheries programs participated in
the symposium. The focus of the discussion was to examine Tribal solutions
to declining wild fish stocks and individual Tribal solutions and strategies.

OCFO Planning and Budget Update

Office of Chief Financial Officer
Chad James

While EPA waits for Congress to act on the Fiscal Year (FY) 2004 President's
Budget Request, formulation of the FY 2005 request is well under way.
The Agency's FY 2005 Budget was submitted to the Office of Management
and Budget on September 8, 2003. In Washington, one of the hot topics
is the anticipated federal budget deficit for FY 2003 (ending September
30). Although times are tight, the Administration and the Agency remain
committed to forging a budget that will help strengthen core program performance,
achieve clear environmental results, and empower our State and Tribal
partners in environmental protection.

Budget 101: The FY 2005 Cycle

On any given day during the calendar year, EPA is typically working on
budgets for three different fiscal years. The present time is no exception.
Currently, the Agency is preparing for the closeout of FY 2003, working
with Congress on their decisions for the FY 2004 appropriation, and, of
course, formulating FY 2005. This simultaneous fiscal year budget work
can be a source of confusion for many folks both inside and outside the
federal resource community; a good way to build understanding is by isolating
a fiscal year and walking through its cycle. There's no better example
than the current formulation year, FY 2005.

Planning for FY 2005 began almost immediately after the FY 2004 budget
request was sent to Congress in February 2003. During the spring and throughout
the summer, EPA's planning and budget community and senior management
worked to determine budget priorities, while also revising its strategic
plan (more on that later). The Agency's FY 2005 budget was submitted to
OMB on September 8, 2003. Over the next few months, OMB will review the
request and give a Passback (OMB's decisions) to the Agency (most likely
in late November or early December). EPA will have three days to appeal
the OMB Passback. Appeals will be granted or denied rather quickly and
the Agency will use these decisions to build a final FY 2005 President's
Budget request for submission to Congress in February 2004.

So what happens after the President's FY 2005 Budget goes to Capitol
Hill? First, there are budget hearings with EPA's authorizing and appropriations
committees. Based on the request and these hearings, Congress will determine
a funding level for the Agency and pass a bill. Theoretically, this appropriation
would be passed by October 1, 2004 (the first day of FY 2005); however
a more likely scenario is that the Agency will operate under a series
of Continuing Resolutions (CRs) until Congress and the Administration
can agree on appropriated funding levels. A CR will appropriate short
term funding to EPA, so it can continue operations until a bill is passed.
Once EPA receives its appropriation, the Agency will then develop the
FY 2005 Operating Plan. The Operating Plan takes into account the changes
Congress made to the President's Budget and makes the necessary adjustments,
so all the programs and offices can receive the funding they need. Upon
completion, the Operating Plan is submitted to Congress. Around August
2005, EPA will be preparing for the closeout of FY 2005, which will end
on September 30, 2005.

Throughout the FY 2005 cycle, "budgeteers" will also work on
the FY 2004 Operating Plan and Closeout, as well as FY 2006 formulation.
Things can get pretty complex, when the Agency finds itself dealing with
an Operating Plan for one year and a President's Budget for another year
at the same time, but somehow EPA always manages to meet its deadlines.

EPA's New Strategic Plan

The Agency is presently in the home stretch of finalizing its 2003 Strategic
Plan. As you all know, throughout the process, EPA actively sought and
received very useful input from Tribes. One of the positive developments
in the new Plan is that a number of strategic targets exist which identify
specific performance commitments relating to Indian Country.

Possibly, the most noticeable change in the new Strategic Plan would
be the switch from a ten to a five goal structure. The five new goals
are titled:

Goal 1: Clean Air and Global Climate Change

Goal 2: Clean and Safe Water

Goal 3: Land Restoration and Preservation

Goal 4: Healthy Communities and Ecosystems

Goal 5: Compliance and Environmental Stewardship

A significant aspect of this goal restructuring relates to the Agency's
desire to highlight an integrated approach in achieving a human health
protection and a healthy environment. All of EPA's programs work toward
the singular goal of environmental strength, so this approach only makes
sense.

So, where do the Agency's Tribal programs fit into this new architecture?
Goal 5/Objective 3 is titled "Build Tribal Capacity." It is
against this Objective that EPA measures its progress in collecting Tribal
environmental information and developing environmental programs in Indian
country. From a budget perspective, the "Build Tribal Capacity"
objective houses the resources for the American Indian Environmental Office
and the Tribal General Assistance Program grants. Despite the fact that
this is the only Objective with "Tribal" in the title, Tribal
specific resources and annual performance measures can be found throughout
the FY 2005 budget under the new five goal structure. For example, the
Alaska Native Villages grants are housed under the "Protect Water
Quality" objective (Goal 2/Objective 2) and the Agency tracks annual
progress in Tribal hazardous waste management under the "Manage Hazardous
Waste and Petroleum Products Properly" objective (Goal 3/Objective
2).

Tying it all Together

At EPA, it is not uncommon for the budget and the strategic plan to be
mentioned in the same sentence and that's the point. Planning and
budgeting are so inter-related that the Agency has worked to make them
inseparable. This is reflected not only in the documents, but also in
the internal processes and management information systems. You've gotta
plan for the budget and budget for the plan!

Each year since 1997, EPA's Office of Pesticide Programs has awarded
approximately $445,500 to Tribes across the country to support pesticide
water quality and special project work. We congratulate the following
award recipients for the 2003 fiscal cycle, and encourage all Tribes to
continue their innovative and important environmental protection efforts.
We expect to issue a new request for proposals under the OPP Tribal grant
program in January 2004. For further information contact Karen Rudek,
EPA, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue NW (7506C0), Washington, DC 20460, 703-305-6005,
rudek.karen@epa.gov.

Tribe Name: Bad River Band of Chippewa
Awarded: $49,433

For: Assessment of Chemical Noxious Weed Control. Since 1999, the Bad
River Natural resources has, with Council approval, been spraying noxious
invasive vegetation (Purple Loosestrife) with a 2% mixture of the herbicide
Rodeo. The increased use of this herbicide has led to concerns about the
potential impacts it may be having on the wetlands complex where Tribal
members engage in subsistence hunting, fishing and gathering. This proposal
will fund an assessment of those impacts, allow a determination as to
whether current control methods create opportunities for the invasion
of other noxious weeds, and create public awareness programs including
information on best management practices and alternative weed control
methods.

Tribe Name: Chickasaw
Awarded: $49,750

For: Assessment of Cultural Exposures to Pesticides. The project will
assess pesticide accumulation in two different types of resources used
to supplement food in the geographic region. It will initiate and assessment
of fish in Lake Texoma and it will identify plants and related resources
that are culturally significant and determine whether those resources
are with pesticides. The project will also develop education and outreach
materials that will be used to educate communities on the risks of pesticide
contamination in local resources.

Tribe Name: Eastern Band of Cherokee
Awarded: $30,110

For: Pesticide Screening of the town of Kituwah and the Cooper's Creek
Properties. Under this project, the Tribe will sample groundwater and
soil from each of the newly re-acquired properties. The screening will
produce an assessment of the effects of past use of pesticides on these
lands and enable the Tribal Environmental Office to provide better direction
to the Tribe as to the management of these lands.

Tribe Name: Fond du Lac
Awarded: $33,957

For: Pesticide Management Plan Development and Ground Water Vulnerability
Assessment. This is the second phase of the pesticide application inventory
funded by this grant program in FY 2002. In this phase of the project,
information already gathered will be supplemented with additional information
required to develop a ground water pesticide management plan, and to conduct
an aquifer vulnerability assessment. In the future, the results of these
tasks will be used to develop a Tribal FIFRA Program for the Reservation.

Tribe Name: Houlton Band of Maliseet
Awarded: $15,072

For: Assessing Wells on Trust Lands for Agricultural Pesticide Contamination.
This project will investigate the possibility that pesticides from agricultural
applications on and around Tribal lands may be contaminating Tribal drinking
water and pose risks to the health of Tribal members. Project goals include
development of a quality assurance project plan (including sampling and
analysis protocols) to assess Tribal well water for pesticide contamination,
collecting verifiable data regarding this possible contamination, and
data evaluation to determine if contaminants reach or exceed critical
levels beyond which health effects are possible.

Tribe Name: Keeweenaw Bay Indian Community
Awarded: $9,300

For: Continuation of Surface Water Monitoring Efforts. This project will
address possible water quality issues resulting from past and present
forestry herbicide applications on the reservation. It will include herbicide
sampling in conjunction with year three of an ongoing surface water quality
monitoring program that has been funded by the Region.

Tribe Name: Poarch Band
Awarded: $50,000

For: Pesticide Assessment, Sampling and Analysis. This funding supports
a written study of the historic use of pesticides on the Poarch Band of
Creek Indians Reservation, identification of geographic areas where those
pesticides may pose a threat to health and safety, development of sampling
and quality assurance plans and a final report which will pinpoint possible
problems with residual pesticides in ground water, soil or surface water.
The assessment will provide a baseline for future actions.

Tribe Name: Shoalwater Bay Indian Tribe
Awarded: $48,607

For: Carbaryl Study. The study will evaluate the minimum water surface
application rate needed to achieve desired kill rates in ghost shrimp
and the rate of loss of the pesticide due to tidal flux. It will determine
whether a subsurface application will achieve the same kill rates using
lower amounts of Carbaryl and whether this application will reduce the
loss of pesticide due to tidal flux.

Tribe Name: Umatilla (Confederated Tribes)
Awarded: $50,000

For: Pesticide and Nutrient Fate on the Umatilla River Flood Plain. These
funds will support a site-specific monitoring program to assess the potential
influence of increased pesticide and nutrient loading associated with
proposed ground water supplementation programs. Monitoring will occur
in a side channel of the Umatilla river that flows perennially, but is
fed only by ground water via seeps from an adjacent agricultural field
and hyporheic ground water inputs as water moves from the main river channel,
through a gravel bar, and into the side channel.

Tribe Name: White Mountain Apache
Awarded: $50,000

For: Community Education, Monitoring and Regulation of Pesticides on
the Reservation, with Special Concern for Surface Water Protection. These
funds will be used to educate individual Tribal members as well as other
professionals living and/or working on the Reservation on the potential
risks, both to the environment and to human health, associated with the
use of pesticides. The project will monitor and restrict large-scale uses
of pesticides on the Reservation and encourage safe handling and appropriate
use of pesticides throughout the Reservation.

Tribe Name: Ysleta Pueblo
Awarded: $49,998

For: Developing Capacity; Determining Existing Exposure Health Risks.
This project will help to develop capacity for Ysleta del Sur Pueblo to
identify and address pesticide concerns and to determine whether Tribal
health risks may exist due to potential pesticide exposure pathways. Project
results will assist the Tribe in making informed decisions about the use
of pesticides on the Reservation, and empower the community by building
knowledge and identifying pesticide issues that must be addressed.

On December 10, 2003, EPA's Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance
(OECA) published a list of proposed 2005-2007 National Enforcement and
Compliance Assurance Priorities in the Federal Register to solicit comments
from the public. The following list of preliminary priorities is divided
into current priorities and suggested new areas. The list includes a proposed
Tribal priority to address significant human health and environmental
problems associated with drinking water and waste management. For the
potential Tribal priority, the objective would be to ensure compliance
within targeted areas and to address adjacent non-complying facilities
impacting Indian country and Tribal areas. In considering the list, Tribes
should keep in mind that OECA is committed to identifying a very limited
number of national priorities to retain flexibility to address emerging
problems or issues as they arise.

Miscellaneous Plastics Products Manufacturing Sector B Reduce public
exposure to hazardous wastes and pollutants released to the land, air,
and water

Environmental Justice B Ensure that no racial, ethnic or socioeconomic
group bears a disproportionate share of negative environmental consequences
resulting from industrial, municipal, and commercial activities; or
from the execution of federal, state, local and Tribal programs and
policies

Significant Noncompliance Oversight B Ensure proper management of
the enforcement and compliance programs under the Clean Air Act, the
Clean Water Act-National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System, and
the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act.

Prior to publishing the Federal Register Notice, OECA asked each EPA
Regional Office to engage its Tribal and State regulatory partners in
discussions of existing and potential national program priorities. OECA
received comments back from all EPA Regional Offices and six states. OECA
provided copies of the Federal Register Notice to EPA's Tribal Operation
Committee in December and invited the officers of the Tribal Caucus or
their representatives to a January 21, 2004 national priorities meeting.
EPA's American Indian Environmental Office sent a letter to each Tribal
leader requesting they review and comment on the potential priorities.
Finally, OECA distributed this list to the Tribal Association of Solid
Waste and Emergency Response, the National Tribal Environmental Council,
and the National Congress of American Indians.

After receiving and analyzing comments from Tribes, States, and the public,
the Assistant Administrator for OECA will select the National Program
Priorities for 2005-2007 using the following criteria: (1) significant
environmental benefit; (2) serious patterns of noncompliance; and (3)
areas or programs are better addressed through EPA=s federal capability
in enforcement or compliance assistance. In February 2004, OECA will issue
a draft work planning guidance on the selected national priorities to
Regional Offices, Tribes, and States for final review.

Tribes and Tribal members interested in obtaining further information
should contact Robert Tolpa, OECA Planning and Analysis Branch Chief,
at 202-564B2337. Greater detail and background information regarding the
priorities are available at http://cascade.epa.gov/RightSite/dk_public_collection_detail.htm?ObjectType=dk_docket_collection&cid=OECA-2003-0154&ShowList=items&Action=view.

EPA Web Sites and Hot Lines

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), www.epa.gov

American Indian Environmental Office, www.epa.gov/indian

Clean Water Indian Program, www.epa.gov/owm/mab/indian/index.htm

Office of Air and Radiation (OAR), www.epa.gov/oar

Office of Air and Radiation (OAR) Tribal Program, www.epa.gov/oar/Tribal

May 2004
3-7
Integrated Monitoring and Assessment for Effective Water Quality Management
EPA Office of Research and Development, Council of State Governments,
and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Hotel Viking
Newport, Rhode Island
Brian Melzian, 401-782-3188, melzian.brian@epa.gov
Amanda hays, 859-244-8236, amays@csg.org

September 2004
8-10
Tribal Pesticide Program Council National Meeting
Hosted by Shoalwater Bay Indian Tribe, Washington
Lillian Wilmore, 617-232-5742, naecology@aol.com